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EDIFACT message guide · Finance

ENTREC Accounting entries

The UN/EDIFACT message used to exchange accounting entries for accounting, audit, cost accounting, consolidation and analysis.

Sent by
Enterprise, service provider or accountant
Received by
Accounting system, auditor or parent company
Standard
UN/EDIFACT · Batch message
X12 equivalent
No direct equivalent

What is the EDIFACT ENTREC message?

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

Entries are the individual journal postings, with dates, accounts, amounts and references. Organizations use ENTREC to post entries from one system into another, such as from a payroll provider into the general ledger, or to give auditors transaction-level data. Entries must balance per batch.

How the EDIFACT ENTREC message worksDiagram of the UN/EDIFACT ENTREC Accounting entries message. Enterprise, service provider or accountant sends it to accounting system, auditor or parent company. It usually follows CHACCO. It is usually followed by LEDGER. 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 DTM (Date/time/period), the required SG5 loop with RJL (Accounting journal identification), the required SG6 loop with QTY (Quantity) and MOA (Monetary amount) and the required SG7 loop with IND (Index details), RFF (Reference), FTX (Free text) and the required SG8 loop with LIN (Line item) and MOA (Monetary amount) and the required SG11 loop with QTY (Quantity) and MOA (Monetary amount), UNS (Section control) and the required SG12 loop with QTY (Quantity) and MOA (Monetary amount). 5 conditional segment groups are listed by their trigger segment.How the EDIFACT ENTREC message worksAccounting entries: who sends it, where it fits and what the directory marks mandatory1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSCHACCOChart of accountsENTRECSENDEREnterprise, serviceprovider or accountantRECEIVERAccounting system,auditor or parentcompanyCONTRL syntax report back, if agreedUSUALLY FOLLOWED BYLEDGERLedger2 WHAT DIRECTORY D.21A REQUIRESInterchange: sender and recipient IDsUNB … UNZMessage ENTRECUNH … UNTSTART OF MESSAGEBGMBeginning of messageDTMDate/time/periodBODY AND SEGMENT GROUPSMandatory group SG1 · repeats up to 99NADName and addressUNSSection controlMandatory group SG12 · repeats up to 1QTYQuantityMOAMonetary amount+ required SG4 (DTM) and 5 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 ENTREC. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds itsown requirements.
How the EDIFACT ENTREC message worksDiagram of the UN/EDIFACT ENTREC Accounting entries message. Enterprise, service provider or accountant sends it to accounting system, auditor or parent company. It usually follows CHACCO. It is usually followed by LEDGER. 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 DTM (Date/time/period), the required SG5 loop with RJL (Accounting journal identification), the required SG6 loop with QTY (Quantity) and MOA (Monetary amount) and the required SG7 loop with IND (Index details), RFF (Reference), FTX (Free text) and the required SG8 loop with LIN (Line item) and MOA (Monetary amount) and the required SG11 loop with QTY (Quantity) and MOA (Monetary amount), UNS (Section control) and the required SG12 loop with QTY (Quantity) and MOA (Monetary amount). 5 conditional segment groups are listed by their trigger segment.How the EDIFACT ENTRECmessage worksAccounting entries: who sends it, where it fitsand what the directory marks mandatory1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSCHACCOChart of accountsENTRECSENDEREnterprise,service provideror accountantRECEIVERAccountingsystem, auditoror parentcompanyCONTRL syntax report back, if agreedUSUALLY FOLLOWED BYLEDGERLedger2 WHAT DIRECTORY D.21A REQUIRESInterchange: sender and recipient IDs(UNB … UNZ)Message ENTREC (UNH … UNT)START OF MESSAGEBGMBeginning of messageDTMDate/time/periodBODY AND SEGMENT GROUPSMandatory group SG1 · repeats upto 99NADName and addressUNSSection controlMandatory group SG12 · repeats upto 1QTYQuantityMOAMonetary amount+ required SG4 (DTM) and 5 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 ENTREC.Your trading partner's implementation guide adds itsown requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends ENTREC, 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 ENTREC 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

  • Posting entries from an outsourced service into the ledger
  • Giving auditors transaction-level accounting data
  • Transferring intercompany entries

Where it fits in the message flow

Usually follows CHACCO Chart of accounts
This message ENTREC Accounting entries
Usually followed by LEDGER Ledger

Structure

Mandatory segments in ENTREC (directory D.21A)

In UN/EDIFACT directory D.21A, the ENTREC message has 48 segment positions arranged in 13 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 (DTM)
  • UNS
  • SG12 (QTY)
  • UNT

Practical example

ENTREC in practice

A company outsources payroll. After each payroll run, the provider sends an ENTREC with the journal entries for salaries, taxes and social contributions by cost center. The company's accounting system posts the entries automatically and reconciles them with the bank payments.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for ENTREC

  • Use account numbers from the agreed chart of accounts.
  • Ensure that each batch of entries balances.
  • Include references back to source documents.
  • Prevent duplicate posting of resent batches.

How ECOM helps

Automate ENTREC 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.

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