Overview
Dimensions are used by various accounting software packages as a means to track financial information by using sub-categories (Accounting Dimensions) to extend the Chart of Accounts (COA). Dimensions are data elements added to the General Ledger transactions that supplement natural accounts and provide the ability to create matrix reporting instead of creating GL Accounts. The most common scenario for leveraging Dimensions is creating Profit and Loss (P&L) reports based on the Dimensions (sub-categories) as opposed to creating specific GL Accounts to achieve the P&L report.
As an example, a Business may want to understand Revenue (REV) and Cost of Sales (COS) for Product categories but the Chart of Accounts (COA) has one Revenue Account (Revenue: 4000) and one Cost of Sales Account (COS: 5000). Creating GL Accounts for each Product category (Finished Goods/Spare Parts) is not necessary if Dimensions are leveraged as each REV and COS transaction will be stamped with the Product Dimension allowing financial reports to be configured to produce a P&L report based on each Product Dimension.
Rootstock allows up to 8 Dimensions to be configured against each Company Master record. The Dimensions can be configured differently within each Company Master but can be related to parent Company Master Dimensions. Once configured, Operational transactions (Sales Order/Work Order/Purchase Order etc) created in Rootstock are automatically stamped with not only the General Ledger Account Number but also the Dimension Values defined against the source entity Master Data records. Both the GL Account and Dimension Value are carried to the GL for use in financial reporting and therefore remove the need of creating additional GL Accounts.
Leveraging Dimensions in Rootstock is an important configuration decision. Thorough analysis of Key Performance Indicators and Financial reporting requirements should be conducted before attempting configuration to ensure Dimensions are leveraged appropriately.
Navigation
Dimension Value Master (or)
Company Master - Dimensions Tab and Dim 1-8 Values Tabs
Processing
To create a New Dimension, click the New Dimension Value button on the Dimension Value Master List view OR click the New Dimension(1-8) Value link on the Company Master - Dimension (1-8) Tab.
To modify an existing record, click the Edit link on the left of the desired Dimension in the Dimension Value Master List view.
Fields
Company: This is the Company number of the associated Dimension value.
Dimension Number: This is the numeric Dimension Number to be passed to the interfacing Accounting system.
Dimension Value: This is the value to be passed to the interfacing Accounting system 'Dimension' field.
NOTE Once the Dimension is created, the user cannot edit the above three fields.
Associated Dimension in Parent Company: In Multi-Company configurations where one Company is designated as the Parent Company of another, this drop-down field allows for a linkage between the Dimension in the current (subsidiary) Company and the corresponding Dimension in the Parent Company.
Key Concepts and Structural Overview
Dimension control is maintained at the Company Level (Company Master) and defines the number of Dimensions configured and the source entity (see below). Whilst Rootstock allows configuration of up to 8 Dimensions, most implementations will require between 2 and 4 Dimensions.
IMPORTANT NOTE When Rootstock Financials, Dimensions and Rootstock Financial Report Writer are in use, each transaction processed in Rootstock creates General Ledger Transaction Dimension records and therefore consumes data storage. When configuring many Dimensions in high transaction volume businesses, Data storage can be impacted. Please refer to the GL Transaction Dimension Consolidation article for how to maintain GL Transaction Dimension records as part of the Rootstock Financials Month End processes and therefore clear data storage.
Once the Dimension source entities are defined on the Company Master, Dimension Values are created within each Dimension and then assigned to the Master Data to complete the configuration. As an example, the Company is leveraging only the Product Dimension (Dimension 1) as P&L reports are required for each Product category (Finished Goods/Spare Parts). To achieve this outcome, both the 'Finished Goods' and 'Spare Parts' Dimension Value Master records are created against the Product Dimension (Dimension 1). Once complete, these Dimension Value Master values are associated with Rootstock Product Master records either via the Product Group assignment or manual entry. This would result in each transaction for the Product sold on a Sales Order being stamped with both the GL Account and Dimension of either Finished Goods or Spare Parts.
Once all Dimensions and Dimension Value Master configuration is complete and assigned to source entity Master Data, Dimensions are written to the Rootstock Cost Transaction (SYTXNCST) object automatically when processing transactions in Rootstock (see below for transaction types), and also to the associated General Journal entries exported to the accounting system. If using Rootstock Financials as the accounting system, Dimensions can also be assigned to Financial transactions i.e. Journal Entry.
Dimensions can be configured against the the following Rootstock ‘entities’.
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Division (value = 'Division')
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Project (value = 'Project')
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Organizational Department (value = 'Organizational Department')
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Inventory Item - which can default to its Commodity Code (value = 'Inventory Item')
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Purchase Item - which can default to its Commodity Code (value = 'Purchase Item')
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Product - which can default to its Product Group (value = 'Product')
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Customer (support 2 different Customer Dimension values > 'Customer' and 'Customer - 2')
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Mfg Engineering Department (value = 'Mfg. Eng. Department')
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Site (value = 'Site)
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Vendor (value = 'Vendor')
IMPORTANT NOTE If Dimension Values are not assigned automatically to the Master Data during record creation (i.e. Product Group does not define the Dimension when creating a Product Master), it is recommended that validations are created to ensure Users assign the Dimension Value against the records when saved. If Dimensions are in use and the Master Data does not contain a Dimension Value, reporting can be impacted.
When Dimension Values are assigned to these entities, they are validated against the Dimension Value Master (SYDIM) table and therefore do not allow free text entry. Dimension values are assigned to each source entity in their respective maintenance program (Division Master, Product Master etc.), carried to the order records (POLINE, SOLINE, WOCST) and then written to the Cost Transaction records (SYTXNCST) associated with those orders.
System generated transactions that will carry dimension values to the Rootstock Cost Transaction (SYTXNCST) are:
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Work Order (component issue, completion, scrap, etc.)
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Sales Order (sale and cost of sales transactions, etc.)
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Purchase Order (PO Receipt, RTV, scrap, sub-contract processing, etc.)
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Machine and Labor Bookings
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Miscellaneous Inventory Transactions (not associated with an ‘order’)
Dimension Value assignment can be overridden for any Dimension for any of the five transaction types noted above using the Dimension Source Override functionality.
Because transactions within Rootstock originate from different functional areas of the system, not all entities are available for all transactions (for example there is no Customer associated with a Purchase Order transaction). Entities that are common to all transactions are Division, Project, and Organizational Department. Below are the entities that are available for each transaction.
Work Order
Sales Order
Purchase Order
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Division
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Project
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Organizational Department
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Purchase Item (or its PO Commodity Code)
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Inventory Item (for direct material purchases only) (or its Inventory Commodity Code)
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Vendor
Machine and Labor Bookings
Miscellaneous Inventory Transactions
If Dimensions have been configured against a Company but are no longer needed, the Suppress Dimension Details under Dimensions tab on the Company Master will cease the use of Dimensions for the Company. Dimension Values will not be created under Purchase Order Line, Payables Distribution, Sales Order Line, Sales Invoice Line, Sales Order RMA Detail, Work Order Header, Dimension Routine and Cost Transaction records.
SEE ALSO
Dimension Source Override
GL Transaction Dimension Consolidation
