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EDIFACT message guide · Finance

BALANC Balance

The UN/EDIFACT message used to exchange enterprise account balances for accounting, audit, consolidation and analysis.

Sent by
Enterprise or subsidiary
Received by
Parent company, auditor or other user
Standard
UN/EDIFACT · Batch message
X12 equivalent
No direct equivalent

What is the EDIFACT BALANC message?

BALANC is the UN/EDIFACT balance message. The directory defines it as a message used to exchange enterprise-related balances between the enterprise and whoever may use them for accounting, auditing, cost accounting, consolidation, financial analysis and similar purposes.

A balance report gives the balance of each account at a date, often as a trial balance. Groups use it to collect subsidiaries' balances for consolidation, and auditors to check the ledger totals. Balances are typically reported per account and period, in the reporting currency, against the chart of accounts agreed with the recipient.

How the EDIFACT BALANC message worksDiagram of the UN/EDIFACT BALANC Balance message. Enterprise or subsidiary sends it to parent company, auditor or other user. It usually follows CHACCO. Inside the UNB and UNH envelopes, the directory D.21A requires, in the start of message: BGM (Beginning of message) and DTM (Date/time/period) and body and segment groups: the required SG1 loop with NAD (Name and address), the required SG4 loop with LIN (Line item), MOA (Monetary amount) and the required SG5 loop with CPT (Account identification) and the required SG7 loop with EQN (Number of units) and MOA (Monetary amount). 4 conditional segment groups are listed by their trigger segment.How the EDIFACT BALANC message worksBalance: who sends it, where it fits and what the directory marks mandatory1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSCHACCOChart of accountsBALANCSENDEREnterprise orsubsidiaryRECEIVERParent company,auditor or other userCONTRL syntax report back, if agreedUSUALLY FOLLOWED BYNo business reply expected2 WHAT DIRECTORY D.21A REQUIRESInterchange: sender and recipient IDsUNB … UNZMessage BALANCUNH … UNTSTART OF MESSAGEBGMBeginning of messageDTMDate/time/periodBODY AND SEGMENT GROUPSMandatory group SG1 · repeats up to 99NADName and addressMandatory group SG4 · repeats many timesLINLine itemMOAMonetary amountMandatory group SG5 · repeats up to 9CPTAccount identification+ required SG7 (EQN) and 4 conditional groups, starting with:CTACCIAUTBlue box: mandatory segment group. Conditional groups are listed by the trigger segment that starts them; a group is sent only when its data applies.Conditional segments outside groups are not drawn.Structure: mandatory segments and groups in the UN/EDIFACT directory D.21A listing for BALANC. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds itsown requirements.
How the EDIFACT BALANC message worksDiagram of the UN/EDIFACT BALANC Balance message. Enterprise or subsidiary sends it to parent company, auditor or other user. It usually follows CHACCO. Inside the UNB and UNH envelopes, the directory D.21A requires, in the start of message: BGM (Beginning of message) and DTM (Date/time/period) and body and segment groups: the required SG1 loop with NAD (Name and address), the required SG4 loop with LIN (Line item), MOA (Monetary amount) and the required SG5 loop with CPT (Account identification) and the required SG7 loop with EQN (Number of units) and MOA (Monetary amount). 4 conditional segment groups are listed by their trigger segment.How the EDIFACT BALANCmessage worksBalance: who sends it, where it fits and whatthe directory marks mandatory1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSCHACCOChart of accountsBALANCSENDEREnterprise orsubsidiaryRECEIVERParentcompany,auditor or otheruserCONTRL syntax report back, if agreedUSUALLY FOLLOWED BYNo business reply expected2 WHAT DIRECTORY D.21A REQUIRESInterchange: sender and recipient IDs(UNB … UNZ)Message BALANC (UNH … UNT)START OF MESSAGEBGMBeginning of messageDTMDate/time/periodBODY AND SEGMENT GROUPSMandatory group SG1 · repeats upto 99NADName and addressMandatory group SG4 · repeatsmany timesLINLine itemMOAMonetary amountMandatory group SG5 · repeatsup to 9CPTAccount identification+ required SG7 (EQN) and 4 conditionalgroups, starting with:CTACCIAUTBlue box: mandatory segment group. Conditionalgroups are listed by the trigger segment thatstarts them; a group is sent only when its dataapplies. Conditional segments outside groups arenot drawn.Structure: mandatory segments and groups in theUN/EDIFACT directory D.21A listing for BALANC.Your trading partner's implementation guide adds itsown requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends BALANC, to whom, and which messages usually come before and after it. The lower part shows what the directory D.21A itself requires: the envelopes around BALANC and the segments and segment groups it marks mandatory. Conditional groups are listed by their trigger segment rather than drawn in full. This is the directory's minimum, not a trading partner's requirement: a message implementation guide, such as an industry subset or a partner’s own guide, usually makes some conditional groups mandatory, restricts the codes and may use an older directory.

Expand diagram Download SVG

When it is used

  • Reporting trial balances for consolidation
  • Sending period-end balances to auditors
  • Supporting financial analysis

Where it fits in the message flow

Usually follows CHACCO Chart of accounts
This message BALANC Balance

Structure

Mandatory segments in BALANC (directory D.21A)

In UN/EDIFACT directory D.21A, the BALANC message has 25 segment positions arranged in 8 segment groups. These are the segments and segment groups marked mandatory at message level, in order; a mandatory group is shown with the segment that starts it. Segments inside conditional groups are needed only when the group is used. This is the directory’s requirement, not your trading partner’s: each partner’s message implementation guide names the directory it uses, often an older one such as D.96A or D.01B where the structure can differ, makes some conditional segments mandatory and restricts the codes.

  • UNH
  • BGM
  • DTM
  • SG1 (NAD)
  • SG4 (LIN)
  • SG7 (EQN)
  • UNT

Practical example

BALANC in practice

At each month end, a group's 30 subsidiaries send the consolidation team a BALANC with the closing balance of each group account. The consolidation system loads the balances, eliminates intercompany positions and produces the group's monthly accounts.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for BALANC

  • Report against the agreed chart of accounts.
  • Check that the reported balances net to zero.
  • Agree reporting deadlines and currencies.
  • Reconcile intercompany balances between subsidiaries.

How ECOM helps

Automate BALANC with ECOM

Solution

Financial Document Automation

Automate invoices, remittances, payment files and bank statements from capture to posting.

Solution

Enterprise Integration

Any-to-any integration across partners, systems, protocols, security requirements, formats and ERPs, in batch or real time.

Industry

Financial Services

Secure file transfer and B2B integration for banks and financial institutions.

Compare X12 and EDIFACT, or see answers to general questions in the EDI FAQ.

Related messages

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