Archiving Accounts Payable data

The Accounts Payable Move Payments process allows you to move checks and all related invoice information to a history file. This keeps your historical payments separate from your current payments. It also decreases the size of your data files and speeds processing time.

If you use the Purchasing and Inventory applications, move receipts and invoices to history in Purchasing before moving payments in Accounts Payable. 

Move payments from Current to History

The transaction records in the Current.apt file move to the History.apt file.

The following records move from the Master.apm file to the History.api file:

• Invoice
• Distribution
• Payment
• Tax distribution
• Invoice payment
• Distribution payment
• Tax distribution payment

Move payments from History to History

The transactions in the History.apt don’t move.

The following records move from the History.api file to another History.api file in a specified archive folder:

• Invoice
• Distribution
• Payment
• Tax distribution
• Invoice payment
• Distribution payment
• Tax distribution payment 

Important considerations before you begin

• Don’t move payments until after you have printed 1099s, completed 1099 corrections, and closed the 1099 year. Use a cutoff date before the prior 1099 year. This also applies to T5018s.
• After moving payments to history, you can no longer void those payments or change the related invoices.
• The Move Payments process affects any reports that use invoice detail. We recommend that you don't move payments until you complete related jobs. This can depend on the amount of detail required on your Job Cost reports.
• When you move payments in Accounts Payable, they don’t move in Cash Management. Move payments separately in Cash Management.
• All related payments and related records must move at the same time. Records may not move if any of the records don’t fit the criteria.
• Payments must have a status of Cleared or Reconciled in Cash Management.
• Schedule adequate time because the Move Payments process can be time intensive.
• Because you can’t reprint the Move Payments report, save the journal to a file. To view the print file after the task completes, go to File, Printouts, and open your file.

Move payments from current to history

1. Log on to the Sage server as an administrator.
2. Back up your data.
3. From the Tools menu, select Move, Payments, Current to History.
4. If a history file doesn’t exist, click OK to create one when prompted.
   Note: If you use named files, you can name this file and save it in the current data folder. Check your named file settings in File, Company Settings, File Locations, Ask name marked for AP Invoice.
5. Enter the Payment date cutoff for the payments you want to move. It’s recommended to use a date before the prior 1099/T5018 year.
6. If you want the journal to print detail about the moved payments, select the Print payment detail box.
7. Click Conditions to apply more selection criteria. This step is optional.
8. Print the report to a file:
   1. Click Printer Setup and select the Print to file check box.
   2. Click Select File and browse to the folder in which you want to save the file.
   3. Enter the file name and click Save.
   4. Click OK, and then click Start.
9. Review the journal to verify that the payments moved successfully (File, Printouts).
   Note: See the Accounts Payable Help topic "Correcting errors in Move Payments" or explanations for possible error messages.
10. Use File Doctor to compact the AP Master file and AP Current transaction file. 

Optional: Move payments from history to history

Sage only moves records from the history.api to another history.api when you move payments history to history. Transaction records (history.apt) don't move. To view the transactions with the moved payments and invoices, copy the history.apt from the live data folder to the archive folder.

1. Back up your data files. 
2. From the Tools menu, select Move, Payments, History to History.
3. Select the destination for your archived history file.
4. If a history file doesn’t exist, click OK to create one when prompted.
   Note: If you use named files, you can name this file and save it in the current data folder. Check your named file settings in File, Company Settings, File Locations, Ask name marked for AP Invoice.
5. Enter the Payment date cutoff for the payments you want to move.
6. If you want the journal to print detail about the moved payments, select the Print payment detail box.
7. Click Conditions to apply more selection criteria. This step is optional.
8. Print the report to a file:
   1. Click Printer Setup and select the Print to file check box.
   2. Click Select File and browse to the folder in which you want to save the file.
   3. Enter the file name and click Save.
   4. Click OK, and then click Start.
9. Review the journal to verify that the payments moved successfully (File, Printouts).
   Note: See the Accounts Payable Help topic "Correcting errors in Move Payments" or explanations for possible error messages.
10. Use File Doctor to compact the AP History invoice file.