Asset Journal

The Asset Journal provides a batch-based approach to transferring assets between holders, similar to how General Journal works for financial transactions.

Understanding Asset Journal

When to Use Asset Journal

✅ Use Asset Journal for:

• Batch transfers - Moving multiple assets at once

• Periodic movements - Regular scheduled transfers

• Manual corrections - Fixing holder assignments

• Quick ad-hoc transfers - Single or multiple assets

• Initial holder setup - Recording starting positions

❌ Use Asset Transfer Orders instead for:

• Documented transfers - When you need a formal document

• Workflow approval - Release/approve before posting

• Archived records - Permanent posted document history

• External references - Linking to customer/vendor documents

Asset Journal vs Transfer Orders

Feature	Asset Journal	Asset Transfer Order
Style	Batch/Journal pattern	Document pattern
Workflow	Direct posting	Open → Released → Posted
Use Case	Quick transfers, corrections	Formal documented transfers
Approval	No approval workflow	Release step before posting
Archive	Only holder entries remain	Posted document preserved
Best For	Internal movements	External/audited movements

Asset Journal Structure

Journal Batches

Asset Journal uses a batch-based structure:

• Each batch is a container for related journal lines

• You can create multiple batches for different purposes

• Lines are posted by batch (all lines in batch post together)

• After posting, lines are deleted from batch

Example Batches:

• DEFAULT - General purpose transfers

• MONTHLY - Monthly location reconciliations

• RETURNS - Customer returns processing

• CORRECTIONS - Holder corrections

Journal Lines

Each journal line represents one asset transfer:

• Asset No. - The asset being transferred

• From Holder - Current holder (auto-populated, read-only)

• To Holder Type/Code - Destination holder

• Posting Date - When the transfer occurs

• Description - Transfer explanation

Creating and Using Asset Journal

Step 1: Access Asset Journal

1. Choose the 🔎 icon, enter Asset Journal, and choose the related link

2. The Asset Journal page opens

3. Select a batch from the Batch Name dropdown (or create new batch)

Step 2: Create Journal Lines

For each asset you want to transfer:

1. Click New or press Enter on empty line

2. Fill in Asset No. - Select the asset to transfer

   • System auto-fills From Holder (current holder)

   • System auto-fills Asset Description

3. Fill in Posting Date - Date of transfer

   • Defaults to work date

   • Subject to validation (see Posting Date Validation below)

4. Fill in To Holder Type - Customer, Vendor, or Location

5. Fill in To Holder Code - Specific holder (lookup available)

   • System auto-fills To Holder Name

6. Optionally fill in Description - Reason for transfer

7. Optionally fill in Reason Code - Business Central reason code

Example Journal Lines:

Line	Asset No.	From Holder	To Holder Type	To Holder Code	Posting Date	Description
1	ASSET-0001	MAIN-WH	Customer	C00001	2024-03-15	Shipped to customer
2	ASSET-0002	MAIN-WH	Customer	C00001	2024-03-15	Shipped to customer
3	ASSET-0010	C00002	Location	MAIN-WH	2024-03-15	Return from customer

Step 3: Validate Lines

Before posting, verify:

• ✅ Asset exists and is not blocked

• ✅ From Holder matches current asset holder

• ✅ To Holder is different from From Holder

• ✅ Posting Date is valid (not backdated incorrectly)

• ✅ Asset is not a subasset (cannot transfer subassets directly)

System performs these validations automatically during posting.

Step 4: Post the Journal

1. Click Post action (or Post and Print)

2. Confirm posting dialog

3. System processes each line:

   • Validates all rules

   • Creates holder entries (Transfer Out/Transfer In pairs)

   • Updates asset Current Holder fields

   • Transfers all child assets automatically

   • Shows progress dialog for large batches

4. Upon success:

   • Lines are deleted from journal

   • Success message shows count: "Posted 3 asset transfers successfully"

5. If error occurs:

   • Posting stops at first error

   • Error message indicates which line and problem

   • Fix error and re-post

Posting Date Validation

Asset Journal enforces strict posting date rules to maintain chronological integrity.

Rule 1: Cannot Backdate Before Last Entry

Error: "Posting date 2024-02-01 is before the last holder entry date 2024-02-15 for asset ASSET-0001"

Cause: Trying to post with a date earlier than the asset's most recent holder entry

Why: Ensures holder history remains chronological and accurate for point-in-time queries

Solution: Use current or future date (or date after last entry)

Rule 2: Must Respect User Setup Date Range

Error: "Posting date 2024-03-15 is outside your allowed posting date range"

Cause: Posting Date is outside the range defined in User Setup (Allow Posting From/To)

Why: Business Central security and period control

Solution:

• Ask administrator to adjust User Setup date range, OR

• Use a date within your allowed range

Rule 3: Validates All Children Recursively

Error: "Cannot post transfer for asset ASSET-0001 because child asset ASSET-0002 has a later holder entry (2024-03-20)"

Cause: Parent asset has child assets, and one child's last entry is AFTER the parent's proposed posting date

Why: Ensures parent and children stay synchronized chronologically

Solution: Use posting date that is later than all children's last entries

Best Practice for Posting Dates
Always use actual transfer date, not data entry date. This ensures:

• Accurate point-in-time holder queries

• Proper chronological sequence

• Compliance with audit requirement

Automatic Child Transfer

When you transfer an asset in the journal, all child assets transfer automatically.

How It Works

1. You create journal line for parent asset:

   Asset No.: MV-001
   To Holder: Customer C00001

2. System detects MV-001 has children:

   MV-001 (Main Vessel)
   ├─ ENG-001 (Engine)
   └─ PROP-001 (Propeller)

3. During posting, system automatically:

   • Transfers MV-001 to C00001

   • Transfers ENG-001 to C00001

   • Transfers PROP-001 to C00001

   • Uses same Posting Date for all

   • Links all with same Transaction No.

Multi-Level Propagation

Works recursively for unlimited depth:

MV-001 (transferring to C00001)
├─ ENG-001 (auto-transferred)
│ ├─ TC-001 (auto-transferred)
│ └─ FP-001 (auto-transferred)
└─ PROP-001 (auto-transferred)

All 5 assets transfer together in one operation.

Why Automatic Propagation?

Physical Reality: When a vessel moves to a customer, the engine inside moves too

Data Integrity: Prevents inconsistent holder states (parent at one location, children at another)

Simplified Data Entry: Transfer parent once instead of manually transferring each component

Subasset Transfer Blocking
You cannot transfer a subasset (child) directly - you must transfer its parent asset.

Error: "Cannot transfer asset ASSET-0002 because it is a subasset. Transfer the parent asset ASSET-0001 instead."

Reason: Maintains hierarchy integrity - components should move with their parent assembly.

Solution: Transfer the root or parent asset instead.

Journal Batches

Viewing Journal Batches

1. Choose the 🔎 icon, enter Asset Journal Batches, and choose the related link

2. View all available batches

3. Create, rename, or delete batches as needed

Creating a New Batch

1. On Asset Journal Batches page, click New

2. Fill in Name - Batch identifier (e.g., "MONTHLY")

3. Fill in Description - Batch purpose (e.g., "Monthly Location Reconciliation")

4. Click OK

5. New batch is now available in Asset Journal

Switching Between Batches

• In Asset Journal page, use Batch Name dropdown

• Each batch has independent set of lines

• You can prepare multiple batches and post them separately

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Ship Multiple Assets to Customer

Scenario: Customer ordered 5 assets, ship them all at once

Steps:

1. Create 5 journal lines, one per asset

2. Set same To Holder: Customer C00001

3. Set same Posting Date: 2024-03-15

4. Add Description: "Order SO-12345 shipment"

5. Post batch

Result: All 5 assets transferred to customer in one posting

Use Case 2: Customer Return

Scenario: Customer returned 2 assets to warehouse

Steps:

1. Create 2 journal lines

2. Asset No.: ASSET-0010, ASSET-0011

3. From Holder: Customer C00001 (auto-filled)

4. To Holder: Location MAIN-WH

5. Description: "Return - RMA-456"

6. Post batch

Result: Assets return to warehouse, holder history recorded

Use Case 3: Initial Holder Assignment

Scenario: Setting up Asset Pro, need to record where 100 assets currently are

Steps:

1. Create a batch "INITIAL"

2. Create journal lines for all 100 assets

3. To Holder: Current actual location for each

4. Posting Date: Today's date (or system go-live date)

5. Description: "Initial holder setup"

6. Post batch

Result: All assets have starting holder position recorded

Use Case 4: Monthly Reconciliation

Scenario: Monthly physical inventory reveals 3 assets at wrong location

Steps:

1. Create batch "RECON-MAR24"

2. Create journal lines for 3 assets

3. To Holder: Correct actual location

4. Description: "Monthly reconciliation - March 2024"

5. Post batch

Result: Holder positions corrected, audit trail maintained

Holder Entries Created

When you post the Asset Journal, it creates holder entries in the same way as other transfer methods.

Entry Pattern

For each asset in journal:

Entry 1: Transfer Out
Entry Type: Transfer Out
Holder: From Holder (old holder)
Posting Date: From journal line
Transaction No.: Unique number linking paired entries
Document Type: Journal
Document No.: Batch name + line counter

Entry 2: Transfer In
Entry Type: Transfer In
Holder: To Holder (new holder)
Posting Date: From journal line
Transaction No.: Same as Transfer Out
Document Type: Journal
Document No.: Batch name + line counter

Example Holder Entries

Posted journal line:
Batch: DEFAULT
Asset No.: ASSET-0001
From: Location MAIN-WH
To: Customer C00001
Posting Date: 2024-03-15

Creates holder entries:
Entry 100: Transfer Out - Location MAIN-WH - Transaction 50 - JOURNAL/DEFAULT-1
Entry 101: Transfer In - Customer C00001 - Transaction 50 - JOURNAL/DEFAULT-1

Validation Rules Summary

During posting, Asset Journal validates:

Rule	Description	Error Prevention
Asset Exists	Asset No. must exist	Invalid asset reference
Asset Not Blocked	Asset.Blocked must be false	Posting to blocked assets
Not a Subasset	Parent Asset No. must be blank	Child transfer without parent
From Holder Matches	Current holder = line's From Holder	Stale data, concurrent changes
To Holder Different	To Holder ≠ From Holder	Pointless transfers
To Holder Valid	To Holder Code exists	Invalid holder reference
Posting Date	See Posting Date Validation section	Chronological integrity

Best Practices

Batch Organization

Purpose-Based Batches:

• Create batches for specific purposes (shipments, returns, corrections)

• Easier to track what was posted when

• Better audit trail

Date-Based Batches:

• Use batch name with period: "MAR2024"

• Helps identify when reconciliation occurred

• Useful for monthly processes

Line Descriptions

Be Specific:

• Good: "Shipped to customer - Order SO-12345"

• Bad: "Transfer"

Include References:

• Sales Order numbers

• Return Material Authorization (RMA) numbers

• Customer PO numbers

• Reason for correction

Error Handling

Review Before Posting:

• Verify From Holder matches expected current holder

• Check asset is at correct starting location

• Confirm To Holder is correct destination

If Posting Fails:

• Read error message carefully

• Fix the specific line mentioned in error

• Re-post batch

Large Batches:

• For 50+ assets, consider splitting into multiple batches

• Easier error recovery if issues arise

• Progress dialog shows posting status

Regular Reconciliation

Monthly:

• Compare asset Current Holder with physical locations

• Create correction journal batch if discrepancies found

• Document reasons in Description field

After Major Events:

• After bulk shipment, verify all assets posted correctly

• Review holder entries for transaction linking

• Reconcile with external systems (if applicable)

Troubleshooting

Journal Line Disappears After Posting

Problem: Lines vanish after clicking Post

Cause: This is normal behavior - journal lines are deleted after successful posting

Verification: Check holder entries to confirm assets transferred successfully

Solution: N/A - working as designed

Cannot Post - "From Holder doesn't match"

Problem: Error indicates From Holder field doesn't match asset's current holder

Causes:

1. Asset holder was changed since line was created

2. Another user/process transferred the asset

3. Concurrent posting in another journal batch

Solution:

1. Refresh the page

2. Re-validate the line (select asset again)

3. From Holder will update to current value

4. Adjust To Holder if needed

5. Re-post

Posting Date Validation Fails

Problem: "Posting date is before last holder entry"

Cause: See Posting Date Validation section above

Solutions:

• Use current date or date after asset's last entry

• Check child assets' last entry dates

• Verify User Setup date range

Asset Not Found in Lookup

Problem: Asset doesn't appear when looking up Asset No.

Causes:

1. Asset is blocked

2. Asset doesn't exist

3. Incorrect filter applied

Solution:

1. Go to Assets list

2. Verify asset exists and is not blocked

3. Check asset No. spelling

4. Clear any filters on journal page