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EM Usage Posting

EM Usage Posting posts usage (hours, days, and similar units) so Vista calculates equipment revenue and job costs. You can also charge another piece of equipment or a work order, or post to overhead (GL).

Post job usage here, through EM Automatic Usage, or on PR Timecard Entry. Prefer payroll when usage is already on employee timecards. Use this form when usage is not available at timecard posting, you need work units with usage, you post usage to other equipment, or you post usage to overhead expense.

Before you start​

  • Equipment, EM Revenue Codes, and category or equipment rates are set up.
  • For job charges: job, phase, and cost type exist. Soft-/hard-closed jobs save only if JC Company Parameters allow posting to those statuses (status shows in red beside the sequence).
  • Meter and job/location update behavior is set on EM Company Parameters (see Notes).

Manual entry​

  1. Open EM Usage Posting and start or open a batch.
  2. Enter Seq # (N, New, or + for the next number, or an existing sequence).
  3. Action on new lines defaults A-Add and cannot be changed. On existing lines: C-Change changes already-processed records; D-Delete deletes from related module files. Toolbar / Records delete only removes the line from the batch.
  4. Select Type: J-Job, E-Equipment (one unit repairing another), W-Work Order, or X-Expense (GL).
  5. Enter Equipment (the unit used) and Revenue Code (sets the usage rate).
  6. Optional PR Co and Employee. If entered, updates related revenue/cost detail for jobs and equipment.
  7. Complete type-specific fields:
    • J-Job: JC Co, Job, Phase, Cost Type. If EM Categories restricts usage to the current job, Job must match the job on EM Equipment.
    • E-Equipment: EM Co and Equipment - Charged (cost equipment). Comp Type / Component only if EM Equipment allows posting costs to components.
    • W-Work Order: Work Order and WO Item (item must exist; sets next cost code and cost type).
  8. Optional Field Ticket (job/contract tickets). Multiple entries per ticket only while JC Field Ticket status is O-Open. Closed, Approved, Rejected, or Billed blocks further costs. Approved tickets affect T&M billings only (contract/item bill type T&M or Both). After the batch processes, entries show on the Cost Detail tab in JC Field Ticket.
  9. Optional Description (up to 30 characters).
  10. EM Cost Code / EM Cost Type only for E or W (WO item cost code can be overridden only if EM Company Parameters Work Orders tab allows cost-code changes).
  11. Enter Date (actual usage date). Tables also store the batch posting date. May update odometer/hour-meter reading dates per company meter options.
  12. Offset Account (offsets equipment revenue): enabled for J when JC allows GL account override on cost posting; for E/W when EM allows GL account override; always for X.
  13. Optional Odometer and Hour Meter (hour meter only if the revenue code updates hour meters). Defaults last equipment reading (or prior line in the batch for the same unit). Entering 0.00 writes the current equipment reading into meter history. After process, creates meter history and updates EM Equipment per company meter options.
  14. Enter Time Units (in the Time U/M shown). Converted to hours using Hour/Time Unit on the revenue code. For J-Job, if the JC cost type has Track Hours, hours post to Job Cost. Auto-usage monthly revenue codes default units as a fraction of 1.000 (full month = 1.000) — do not change that value.
  15. Optional Work Units if Work Units with Usage is checked on the category or equipment revenue rate.
  16. Rate only if Allow Rate Change is on in EM Company Parameters (Usage tab) and Allow Posting Override is on for the category or equipment rate. Amount defaults Time Units × Rate; changing Amount does not change rate or time units.
  17. Save lines, then validate and post the batch (File > Process Batch / EM Batch Process).

Automatic usage (EM Automatic Usage)​

EM Automatic Usage builds the same style of revenue transactions from time on the job (location transfers). After the auto batch is created, edit lines in EM Usage Posting before post.

  1. Open EM Automatic Usage.
  2. Enter Actual Date (required; typically last day of the billing period), Beginning Date, and Ending Date.
  3. Optionally restrict Beginning/Ending Template, Category, and Location range (equipment transferred into locations in that range is excluded).
  4. Optionally set Dates to Exclude from Billing (holidays inside the range) and Bill Saturdays / Bill Sundays.
  5. Prefer Delete and Replace Duplicate Entries checked so reruns replace matching month/batch/equipment/day/job/revenue-code entries instead of doubling. Unchecked, mark duplicates for deletion before post.
  6. Generate the batch, review/edit in EM Usage Posting, then process.

Hours come from transfers in EM Location Transfer (or mass transfer). Templates on the job drive phase, min/max charges, calendar vs transfer-in start, estimated-out, hours per day, and revenue-code rules. If calculated amount exceeds the template maximum, the usage amount stops at the limit but rate and time units are not adjusted (example: max $1000 with $150 × 10 shows $150 × 10 = $1000).

Batch process​

  1. On EM Batch Process (or Process Batch from a posting form), enter Month and Batch.
  2. Validate. Status moves Open → Validated, or Errors (fix and revalidate). Successful validate builds audit reports — print them before post; they are not available after processing. Switching batches or closing before post resets validation.
  3. Post (Posting Date defaults today). Status Updated when finished.
  4. Clear Batch (File menu) only affects unposted batch data. Disabled while status is Posting in Progress. To reverse a posted transaction, set Action to Delete and post.

If Attach Batch Report to HQ Batch Control is on in EM Company Parameters, missing report security can block posting.

Meter and job/location updates​

On EM Company Parameters:

  • Meter Updates: Equipment Usage — update meters/reading date only when the new reading date is greater; always update meters and never update reading date (dates only via EM Meter Readings); or always update meters and update reading date when post date is greater than last. Hour meters update only if Update Hour Meter is checked on the revenue code or rate. EM Usage Posting updates meters when the batch record is created; PR Timecard Entry and MS Ticket Entry update only when that batch posts.
  • Job & Location Updates: Equipment Usage — Update Job and remove Location when job changes; Update Job and save Location even if job changes; or Do not update Job or Location. See also EM Location Transfer.

Notes​