Safeguard G/L Accounts From Deletion
How to safeguard G/L accounts from deletion in Business Central using three fields on the General Ledger Setup page: Check G/L Account Usage, Check G/L Account Deletion After, and Block Deletion of G/L Account. Covers how a date set for data retention leads to a confirmation prompt, and how Block Deletion turns that prompt into an outright block.
- Overview of GL account deletion risks
- Accessing general ledger setup page
- Check GL account usage setting
- Check GL account deletion after field
- Warning mechanism for account deletion
- Block deletion of GL account setting
Overview
A G/L account can be deleted even if it has had transactions, as long as certain conditions hold. The video recommends changing settings on the General Ledger Setup page to restrict when deletions can occur.
It walks through three settings. Check G/L Account Usage blocks deletion of accounts used in setup tables such as posting setup. Check G/L Account Deletion After sets a date, which supports data retention requirements, and the demo sets it to December 31st, 2017. Block Deletion of G/L Account, used together with that date field, blocks deletion outright to enforce a mandatory retention period.
Key points
- Settings are configured on the General Ledger Setup page (reachable via Alt+Q search).
- By default, an account can be deleted even if it has had transactions, as long as it has no balance and the transactions do not belong to an income year that is still open.
- Check G/L Account Usage blocks any attempt to delete an account that is used in setup tables, such as posting setup.
- Check G/L Account Deletion After takes a date after which you do not want deletions to occur, to support regulatory data retention requirements.
- Example: with fiscal year 2023 open and a 5-year retention (2018 through 2022), the date is set to December 31st, 2017, so deletion is only allowed if transactions happened before that date.
- Trying to delete an account with transactions after that date only triggers a confirmation prompt; the user can still delete.
- Block Deletion of G/L Account works in combination with the Check G/L Account Deletion After date to block deletion outright.
Features
| Feature | Status | At |
|---|---|---|
| Check GL account usage setting | status not stated | 0:39 |
| Check GL account deletion after field | status not stated, demoed | 0:57 |
| Block deletion of GL account setting | status not stated | 2:04 |
AL objects mentioned
As heard in the captions. A name that matches one object page by exact type and name links to it; the others stay as named.
Quotes
- 0:00 “as long as it has no balance and the transactions do not belong to an income year that is still open.”
- 0:18 “We recommend that you change some settings to restrict when these deletions can occur. This is done on the general ledger setup page.”
- 0:39 “With the check GL account usage setting we can block any attempt to delete a GL account if the account is used in any”
- 1:07 “if you must store data for 5 years and your fiscal year follows the calendar year specify the date after which you don’t want”
- 1:40 “I set the check GL account deletion after to December 31st, 2017. This means I can only delete the account if transactions has happened”
- 1:53 “the system will ask me if I really want to delete the account. I can still do so if I want to.”
- 2:04 “If I want to outright block the deletion of the account, I’ll have to use the third setting called block deletion of GL account.”