Re: Cost Centers Accounts Screen & commit r1344568

[Pierre Smits]

This is now almost a month in the past.

Is this a done deal?

2012/7/9 Jacopo Cappellato <[hidden email]>

> Vikas,
>
> could you please reply to these notes?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Jacopo
>
> On Jun 2, 2012, at 11:01 AM, Pierre Smits wrote:
>
> > While Vikas does a great job explaining why there is a need for cost
> > centers, he doesn't address the issue of why the change should be
> > implemented.
> >
> > Before the commit following functionalities were available:
> >
> >   1. Create cost
> > centers<
> https://demo-trunk.ofbiz.apache.org:8443/accounting/control/FindGlAccountCategory
> >
> >   2. Get per cost center an overview of related GL Accounts and add new
> >   ones<
> https://demo-trunk.ofbiz.apache.org:8443/accounting/control/EditGlAccountCategoryMember?glAccountCategoryId=9301
> >
> >   3. Have one entry form where the administrator of a company, subsidiary
> >   or department could add, edit and delete associated GL for all cost
> centers
> >   available based on all GL Accounts available to said entity. Having
> this
> >   form the administrator only had to enter a percentage number for the
> >   appropriate cost center and when clicking the submit button the
> association
> >   (or mapping) between cost center and GL Account was created or
> modified.
> >
> > After the commit the functionality of item 3 is reduced to only showing
> the
> > accounts for which a mapping has been created. If an administrator needs
> to
> > add a new mapping he/she than has to go to functionality 2 to create it,
> > and repeat that step over and over until all associations are created.
> >
> > In a sense this reduction of functionality means a reduction of user
> > experience. Having been a financial controller for many years in various
> > SMEs and having worked with all kinds of administrators I know that ease
> of
> > use of functionalities is something that is always highly appreciated.
> >
> > If Vikas wanted to provide an overview of only associated GL Accounts to
> > all cost centers, he should have added a new
> > functionality in stead of diminishing the existing one. Actually, having
> > one that is read-only (and/or exportable/printable) would make sense.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Pierre
> >
> >
> > 2012/6/1 Vikas Mayur <[hidden email]>
> >
> >> Pierre, I really don't know whether it was intentional to show all the
> >> accounts of the organization because I don't see any such discussion in
> the
> >> past except couple of jira issues. Perhaps the author of the code could
> >> throw some light.
> >>
> >> Jacopo, I support the idea of just showing only the accounts related to
> >> the cost centers based on the following use case / theory. Let me know
> if
> >> you think otherwise.
> >>
> >> Cost centers are part of the organization (could be division/department)
> >> which adds to the cost of an organization. Lets say the organization
> have
> >> three divisions namely Sales & Marketing, Customer Service & Operations
> >> where each division have a certain number of employees for its
> operation.
> >> Suppose, the organization gives health insurance to each employee which
> is
> >> an expense account. To know the cost (% of total expense) of health
> >> insurance by each division, the organization will setup three cost
> centers,
> >> one for each division. This would basically means that the health
> insurance
> >> account is now also associated to each cost center with an amount
> >> percentage of the total expense. There could be other accounts where the
> >> organization would like to know the expenses by each division / cost
> center
> >> and such accounts can also be associated to these cost centers.
> >>
> >> Now, if there are any other accounts since all the accounts won't be
> just
> >> for expenses then why we would be needing those accounts on cost center?
> >> If, the organization need some of them at some point of time they can be
> >> added to cost centers in similar manner.
> >>
> >> PS - I don't find any other way to know whether the cost center belongs
> to
> >> parent organization or any other internal organization except by
> looking at
> >> the gl account(s) of the organization which is/are associated to the
> cost
> >> centers via GlAccountCategoryMember entity. I believe we just setup cost
> >> centers through GlAccountCategory (with type COST CENTER) and the gl
> >> accounts associated to cost centers will denote which organization(s)
> are
> >> related to the cost centers. We perhaps need to simplify the service
> that
> >> generates the data for cost centers screen, it contains lot of iteration
> >> code to build a data in such a simple form.
> >>
> >> Regards
> >> Vikas
> >>
> >> On May 31, 2012, at 7:46 PM, Jacopo Cappellato wrote:
> >>
> >>> Vikas, Pierre,
> >>>
> >>> it would be useful if you both could provide a simple use case of the
> >> screen to highlight why you think it should work in that way; then we
> could
> >> take a more informed decision.
> >>>
> >>> Jacopo
> >>>
> >>> On May 31, 2012, at 10:05 AM, Pierre Smits wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Please don't.
> >>>>
> >>>> Showing all accounts of the parent organisations was intentional, so
> >>>> changes could be effected in one overview/screen/form.
> >>>>
> >>>> 2012/5/29 Vikas Mayur <[hidden email]>
> >>>>
> >>>>> Ok, I'll work on a fix since all the gl accounts assigned to the
> parent
> >>>>> organization 'Company' are showing up in the cost centers screen
> while
> >> the
> >>>>> only accounts associated to cost centers should show up.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Thanks
> >>>>> Vikas
> >>>>>
> >>>>> On May 29, 2012, at 2:57 PM, Pierre Smits wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> Vikas,
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> New cost centers can be added through the 'GL Account Category' menu
> >>>>> item.
> >>>>>> See:
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>
> https://demo-trunk.ofbiz.apache.org:8443/accounting/control/FindGlAccountCategory
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> If you then go to 'Cost Centers', you'll see newly added cost
> centers
> >> (if
> >>>>>> any), plus an overview of all assigned gl accounts. As a means to
> >> easily
> >>>>>> manage percentual aspects of costs related to cost centers. As such
> it
> >>>>>> makes sense.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> If you want an overview per cost center, you'll have to go back to
> the
> >>>>> 'GL
> >>>>>> Account Category' menu item, select the cost center of choice and go
> >> to
> >>>>> the
> >>>>>> 'GL Account Category Member' overview. See:
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> vhttps://
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>
> demo-trunk.ofbiz.apache.org:8443/accounting/control/EditGlAccountCategoryMember?glAccountCategoryId=9301
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Regards,
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Pierre
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> 2012/5/29 Vikas Mayur <[hidden email]>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>> In OFBiz demo data there are three cost centers namely cost center
> >> 1, 2
> >>>>> &
> >>>>>>> 3. The GlAccountCategoryMember associate GL Accounts to a
> particular
> >>>>> cost
> >>>>>>> center. At the moment only three GL Accounts are added to these
> cost
> >>>>>>> centers. When you go to Accounting > Global Gl Settings > Cost
> >> Centers
> >>>>>>> screen it shows all the accounts that are related to the
> organization
> >>>>> party
> >>>>>>> Id while it should only show the accounts related to cost centers?
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> Regards
> >>>>>>> Vikas
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
>
>