Chapter 307 Unlock
Unlock options give an employee special access to locked or protected entries. As such, it is recommended you only assign it to a Super User that you can switch to when the need arises. If you use Unlock options with your regular Employee card you will not be able to see which entries should be locked and may make a costly mistake.
Please Unlock responsibly. (7293)
Special Access
Big Business includes Special Access settings on the Access tab of the Employee card.
Settings include:
• Unlock Batch Delete
• Unlock Lists
• Unlock Periods
• Unlock Protected Accounts
• Unlock Protected Transactions
• Unlock Retained Earnings
• Unlock Status Inactive
This Solution describes Special Access settings. (6253)
• Unlock Batch Delete - this setting allows employee to use Batch Delete
• Unlock Lists - works with Employee Prefs to Lock Lists, allowing designated users to edit Lists
• Unlock Periods - allow the user to work in a locked period
• Unlock Protected Accounts - adds all Accounts to the Category List (and undermines data integrity by allowing access to protected, calculated accounts)
• Unlock Protected Transactions - unlocks transactions such as paid invoices
• Unlock Retained Earnings - adds Retained Earnings to the Category List
• Unlock Status Inactive - works with Lock Inactive, allowing designated users to edit Inactive
Unlock Periods
Unlock Periods is a Special Access option on the Access tab of an Employee Card. Unlock Periods allows the Employee unrestriced access to locked periods.
(6178).
To Unlock Periods for an Employee, go to the Employee Card, to the Access tab and under Special Access click the checkbox for Unlock Periods.
When the Employee Signs In again, she will have unrestricted access to Protected or Locked Periods.
Unlock Periods should be turned off when not needed to avoid errors.
Unlock All Accounts
Big Business enforces data integrity by protecting Accounts and limiting the selection of Accounts for modifiable postings to those Accounts designated as Categories. A designated Accounts Receivable Account, for example, should never be out of balance with the sum of Customer balances. So, any Accounts Receivable Account is protected from being posted to by modifiable transactions, even a Journal Entry, and can only be posted to with a Customer transaction, such as an Invoice or Receive Money entry.
Big Business includes a Special Access option to Unlock All Accounts. This Solution describes this setting. (5863)
Big Business allows you to select from a list of Categories when you modifying the postings on a transaction. Categories are a subset of Accounts. Accounts which are protected are not included as Categories. These include any Account designated as Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Inventory, Bank Account, Current Year, or Retained Earnings.
In the Special Access settings in an Employee's Card, an employee can now be given access to All Accounts. This designates all accounts, except Current Year Earnings, as Categories which can be selected on any transaction with modifyable postings.
Enabling this setting should only be considered in rare circumstances. Any bona fide entry is possible without this setting, retaining the protection to ensure data integrity. This setting confers unnecessary access, which may facilitate a correction but may also enable grevious error. Use it at your peril.
To give an Employee Access to All Accounts:
1. Open the Employee Card and go to the Access tab.
2. Click the Unlock All Accounts checkbox.
3. Save the Employee Card
When this Employee signs in again, All Accounts will appear in the listing of Categories and can be selected on a transaction.
User Access: Unlock Transactions
Big Business includes a Special Access setting to Unlock Transactions. This overrides the normal protection of data and should be used with care.
Unlock Transactions unlocks:
• Invoices locked by applied payments
• Payroll Checks automatically locked on import
• Balance Adjustments automatically locked when saved
• Bank Reconciliations locked by subsequent reconciliations
• Vendor Bills locked by a payment
The Solution desribes this setting. (5698)
This setting was created for Invoices which would normally be locked by Applied Payments. To modify these Invoices, a user would normally need to unapply the payment, modify the Invoice, then re-apply the payment. Users with the Unlock Transactions setting will see the Invoice as unlocked (unless it is locked by another user or in a protected period) and can make changes, such as adding shipping charges.
To Set Transactions Unlocked Access for a User:
1. Open the user's Employee Card to the Access tab.
2. Click the "Transactions Unlocked" checkbox.
3. Save the Employee Card.
For the setting to take effect, the Employee must quit and restart Big Business.
Transactions Unlocked unlocks:
• Invoices locked by applied payments
• Payroll Checks automatically locked on import
• Balance Adjustments automatically locked when saved
• Bank Reconciliations locked by subsequent reconciliations
• Vendor Bills locked by a payment
WARNING: The Transactions Unlocked feature should be assigned to a reserved user (e.g. Administrator, or another not normally used) or turned OFF for normal use. Without being able to see what should be locked, normally, it is all too easy to cause problems.
Unlock Retired Features
Unlock Retired Features lets you set special access on an Employee card to work with options that have been replaced. For example, older Accounts Receivable Aging reports, which are slow, are being replaced with A/R Agings which are fast. For simplicity old reports will be hidden, but if you prefer them for their layout or content, or to give you time to get coffee, use Unlock Retired Features to re-include them. (7992)
Verify Checklinks
Verify Checklinks is an option in Update for Bills that looks for unneeded or missing Checklinks. Go to Bills, Find All, select one or all, and click Update and it will tell you if any Bills need updating. This problem can occur using Unlock options that let an employee modify already-paid Bills. (7334)
Verify Checklinks is an option in Update for Bills that looks for unneeded or missing Checklinks. Checklinks are internal records that link Bills to Checks and are not needed once the Bill is fully paid. However, it is possible using Unlock options, to modify Paid Bills and create problems with Checklinks. Verify Checklinks finds and fixes any errors.