Your Record to Report - Journal Entry Data Template

The Activity Name describes a step in the journal entry lifecycle, such as 'Journal Entry Created', 'Journal Submitted for Approval', or 'Journal Entry Posted'. Each activity represents a distinct state change or action performed on the journal entry.

This attribute is fundamental to process mining as it defines the nodes in the process map. Analyzing the sequence and frequency of activities helps uncover the actual process flow, identify bottlenecks between steps, detect deviations from the standard procedure, and measure the time spent in each stage of the process.

It defines the steps in the process map, which is crucial for visualizing the process flow, identifying bottlenecks, and analyzing deviations.

Often derived from status change logs, event tables, transaction codes, or workflow history associated with the journal entry document.

The Event Time, or timestamp, captures the exact date and time that an activity was executed. It provides the chronological order of events for each case, which is essential for reconstructing the process flow accurately.

In analysis, timestamps are used to calculate durations between activities, measure the total cycle time of the process, and identify delays or bottlenecks. For example, the time difference between 'Journal Submitted for Approval' and 'Journal Entry Approved' provides the approval time. Accurate timestamps are the bedrock of any time-based process analysis and performance measurement.

This timestamp is essential for ordering events, calculating cycle times and durations, and identifying delays in the process.

Found in event logs, transaction history tables, or document change records. Key fields are often named 'Creation Date', 'Change Date', or 'Timestamp'.

The Journal Entry ID is a crucial attribute that uniquely identifies each financial transaction process instance. It links all related activities, such as creation, approval, and posting, into a single, cohesive case.

In process mining analysis, this ID allows for the reconstruction of the end-to-end journey of every journal entry. It is the foundation for calculating case-level metrics like cycle time, identifying process variants, and analyzing conformance to the desired process model. Without a unique case identifier, it is impossible to trace the sequence of events for a specific transaction.

This ID is essential for tracking each journal entry's complete lifecycle, enabling the analysis of process flows, durations, and variations.

Typically found in the header table of financial or accounting documents. It might be a composite key of document number, company code, and fiscal year.

This attribute records the date and time of the most recent data extraction or refresh. It provides context on the freshness of the data being analyzed.

In any analysis, understanding the timeliness of the data is critical for interpreting the results correctly. This timestamp helps users know if they are looking at real-time information or a snapshot from a specific point in time, which affects the relevance of dashboards and KPIs related to current backlogs or process performance.

Indicates the freshness of the data, ensuring users understand how current the process analysis is.

This is typically generated and stored by the data extraction tool or integration platform during the data loading process.

The Source System attribute identifies the originating application or module where the journal entry data was generated. In modern enterprise environments, financial data may come from various ERPs, subledgers, or third-party applications.

This attribute is valuable for several analytical views. It allows for comparing process efficiency and conformance across different source systems. For example, you can analyze if journals originating from an automated subledger are processed faster than manually created ones. It is also critical for data governance and troubleshooting, helping to trace data back to its origin.

Identifies the data's origin, which is crucial for comparing processes across different systems and for data governance.

Usually specified during the data extraction setup or available as a standard field in data warehouses that consolidate information from multiple systems.

The Company Code represents a distinct legal or business entity within an organization. Financial transactions are recorded at the company code level to facilitate separate financial reporting.

In process mining, the Company Code is a critical attribute for organizational analysis. It enables benchmarking of process performance across different entities, regions, or subsidiaries. For example, an analyst can compare the rejection rates or approval times between the US and German entities to identify best practices or areas needing improvement. This helps in standardizing processes and ensuring compliance across the entire organization.

Enables performance benchmarking and process comparison across different legal entities, subsidiaries, or regions.

A standard field in the header of almost all financial documents in an ERP system.

The Currency attribute specifies the unit of money for the Journal Entry Amount. It is essential for correctly interpreting and comparing financial values, especially in multinational organizations.

In analysis, this attribute provides necessary context for the Journal Entry Amount. It allows for filtering transactions by currency and is a prerequisite for any analysis that involves aggregating or comparing amounts across different regions. For meaningful global analysis, amounts may need to be converted to a single reporting currency.

Provides essential context for the journal entry amount, enabling accurate financial analysis and comparisons across different currencies.

A standard field in the header of financial documents, often named 'Currency Code' or 'Currency Key'.

This attribute captures the financial value of the journal entry. It can represent the total debit amount, total credit amount, or an absolute total, depending on the system and data model.

Analyzing the process through the lens of monetary value can reveal significant insights. It helps prioritize improvement efforts by focusing on high-value transactions. For instance, one could investigate if high-value journals take longer to approve or have a higher rejection rate. This attribute is also essential for materiality analysis and identifying transactions that pose a higher financial risk.

This is crucial for materiality analysis, helping to prioritize process improvements on high-value transactions and to assess financial impact.

Typically available in the journal entry header table. It might need to be calculated by summing line item amounts.

The Journal Entry Status indicates the state of the transaction at a specific point in time or its final outcome. Statuses typically reflect key milestones in the process, such as 'In Progress', 'Submitted for Approval', 'Posted', or 'Reversed'.

This attribute is highly valuable for understanding the current workload and backlog. By filtering for journals with a status of 'In Progress' or 'Pending Approval', managers can monitor outstanding work. Analyzing the final status helps in understanding process outcomes, for example, by calculating the proportion of entries that are posted versus those that are deleted or reversed.

Helps in understanding the current workload and backlog by tracking the state of each journal entry, such as 'Pending Approval' or 'Posted'.

Available in the journal entry header data. Common field names include 'Document Status' or 'Posting Status'.

The Journal Entry Type categorizes transactions based on their business purpose or nature. Common types include standard manual entries, automated subledger entries, accruals, reclassifications, and reversing entries.

This attribute is a powerful dimension for filtering and segmentation in process analysis. By comparing the process flows and performance metrics for different journal entry types, organizations can uncover valuable insights. For instance, they might find that accrual entries have a much longer approval cycle or that recurring entries have a higher automation rate. This helps tailor process improvement efforts to specific transaction categories.

Allows for segmenting analysis to compare processes for different transaction types, like accruals vs. standard entries, to find targeted improvement areas.

Usually located in the journal entry header data. Field names often include 'Document Type', 'Journal Category', or 'Journal Type'.

The User Name attribute identifies the individual responsible for executing a given process step. This could be the creator of the journal entry, the person who submitted it, the manager who approved it, or the accountant who posted it.

Analyzing process performance by user provides insights into workload distribution, team productivity, and individual training needs. It can help identify top performers, users who may require additional support, or activities that are consistently handled by specific individuals. This information is key for resource management and performance improvement initiatives.

This attribute is key for analyzing workload distribution, team performance, and identifying training opportunities.

Typically found in document change logs or workflow history tables, often associated with fields like 'Created by', 'Changed by', or 'User ID'.

The Department attribute links a journal entry to a specific business unit, function, or cost center. This organizational data helps to attribute financial activities to the responsible area within the company.

Similar to Company Code, the Department allows for slicing and dicing the process data for more granular analysis. It can be used to compare process efficiency, rework rates, or approval times across different departments. This helps identify departmental best practices or areas where specific teams may need more support or process guidance.

Allows for process analysis and performance comparison across different business units, helping to identify department-specific issues or best practices.

Can be found in journal entry header or line item data. It may be derived from the user who created the entry or from the cost center assigned to the transaction.

The Is Automated attribute is a boolean flag that distinguishes between activities executed by automated systems, such as bots or integrated subledgers, and those performed manually by users.

This attribute is essential for measuring the level of automation in the journal entry process. It allows for the calculation of the Automation Rate KPI and helps in identifying opportunities for further automation. By comparing the cycle times and error rates of automated versus manual activities, companies can build a strong business case for investing in automation technologies to improve efficiency and reduce human error.

Helps measure the automation rate of the process and identify opportunities to automate manual tasks, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing errors.

Often derived by checking if the 'User Name' corresponds to a system or service account, or if the transaction originated from an automated source system.

The Posting Date is the official accounting date for a transaction. It determines the fiscal period in which the journal entry will be reflected in the financial statements. This can differ from the date the entry was created or the date the transaction occurred.

Analyzing the Posting Date is crucial for financial controls and timeliness analysis. The lag between the creation or approval date and the posting date can be a key performance indicator, highlighting delays in the final step of the process. It is also used to analyze on-time posting rates and to identify entries that are backdated or posted to incorrect periods, which can be a compliance concern.

This date is critical for calculating posting delays and ensuring entries are recorded in the correct financial period for accurate reporting.

A standard and mandatory field in the header of all financial documents in an ERP system.

The Rejection Reason is a code or text description that explains why a journal entry was not approved. Common reasons include incorrect account assignment, insufficient documentation, or policy violations.

This attribute is the primary input for root cause analysis of rework and process inefficiencies. By analyzing the frequency of different rejection reasons, organizations can identify the most common sources of errors. This information is invaluable for developing targeted interventions, such as improving training materials, clarifying policies, or implementing system controls to prevent errors upfront. It directly supports KPIs like Rejection Rate and Rework Rate.

This is critical for root cause analysis of rework, helping to identify common errors and develop targeted training or system improvements.

Typically found in the workflow log or approval history of the journal entry. It may be a free-text field or a selection from a predefined list.