LBSS Initial Conversion

You may be surprised if your Client wants to recall and reassign all accounts previously assigned to you. They need to do this to bring their own systems up to date with their new methods.

Actually, this is an opportunity for you to ensure that the data you have in your database matches what your Client thinks you have. It is also a chance to get the latest financial breakdown of the accounts.

The steps you need to take are quite simple, and the import programs required are available in the import specification library named lbssinit.dat. To bring your system up to date with your Client's new system, please do the following.

Select The Library

Select the import library LBSSINIT.DAT.

Select File from the top menu bar and then select Import/Export and then Select Import Library. Enter LBSSINIT.DAT and select OK. This will open the import library used for these initial operations.

When you have the LBSS INIT library open you can verify by opening the list of File Specifications (from the File Import/ Export menu). You should see Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3 in the list of file specifications. If you don't see this, then something is wrong.

Check The Recall Files

This is the Step 1 import process.

Import the recall download file. This will create a list of accounts that aren't in your system. This is all it does. It doesn't alter accounts currently in your database. The exceptional accounts are imported with only an account number, no name. You can find them easily from the Browse menu All Debtors option.

If the Client thinks that you have accounts listed, but in fact the accounts with that number don't exist in your database, you will need to resolve this discrepancy. The following step deals directly with this problem.

If new accounts with blank names are created during the Recall Download there are three possible reasons for this.

1) You haven't entered the accounts into Collect! yet.

2) The account number you used when creating new accounts was entered incorrectly.

3) The Client never sent those accounts to you.

If you find new Debtors with blank names after the recall download you'll need to figure out which of the three conditions applies and act accordingly.

After you correct any errors, import the account recall download again. If blank Debtors still appear, correct the errors and repeat the process until the recall download operates without creating blank Debtors.

If no new Debtors are created during the recall download, you can move on to the next step.

Check The Reassignment Files

This is the Step 2 import process.

Import the Reassignment import file. Here we update critical information in existing Debtors, and create new Debtors not already listed.

WARNING: This step should be run ONLY when you have a backup of your database. Do not expect this process to work exactly the way you expect the first time. This is the meeting point between manual and automated methods. You must be prepared to restore from your backup after this step.

Here we assess the changes the Client proposes to the accounts you have already in your system. Major differences in financial data between your existing accounts and what the Client thinks you have are critical. A clear understanding of those differences and the reasons for those differences is vital to a successful transition to the LBSS system.

If financial differences are found, it can be partially attributed to the increased detail available in the Client's new system. In other words, if previously the Client listed accounts in which you only show a total owing, you may now get the accounts back with principal and interest broken out. The total owing should remain the same.

Additional differences can be due to transactions being duplicated by the import process. Transactions are keyed on Payment Date and Direct Payment Amount.

Audit And Reconciliation

After you have analyzed the import update changes and corrected any discrepancies, it is wise to reconcile your accounts with your Client. Failure to reconcile periodically to ensure data accuracy may be important in your operation.

You are responsible for the accuracy of your data. Permitting inaccuracies in your database typically results in problems that can show up later in obscure ways. Don't fall prey to allowing garbage into your database. Collect! cannot operate correctly with incorrect data. Always be absolutely sure of correctness before committing any changes to your production environment.

Notes

A few things to bear in mind are:

i) When was the last time you sent a Client statement? The data your Client sends to you may or may not contain the latest changes you made to the accounts since they were listed or last reported.

ii) The import specification named Duplicate Account Check can be used just before an account download to provide a list of accounts being imported that already exist in your database. To obtain this report, turn on the Enable Internal Debug Messages switch in the Options Sounds and Colors settings. This is available from the System Setup form from the Preferences command in the System menu. The output from this report is available after the Duplicate Account Check import has been run; it is located in the User History from the File menu.