Managing finances requires accuracy, organization, and transparency. At the center of any accounting system lies the general ledger - a backbone of financial reporting. If you're new to Ratals ERP or you simply want to make sure you're getting the most out of the general ledger feature, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know. We'll cover:
By the end, you'll not only understand what's happening behind the scenes but also be able to confidently navigate your general ledger and track your business activity with precision.
The general ledger (GL) is the master account record of all financial transactions in your business. It tracks every debit and credit posted through journal entries, organizes them by account type (such as assets, liabilities, expenses, and income), and keeps your books accurate and balanced.
In simple terms, think of the general ledger as the master record of your business's financial activity. Every transaction - whether it's a sale, expense, loan payment, or asset purchase - eventually ends up in the general ledger.
Why is this important?
Without the general ledger, your financial data would be scattered across multiple systems and spreadsheets. Ratals ERP simplifies this by bringing all entries into one clean, searchable format.
When you open the General Ledger section in Ratals ERP, the first thing you'll notice is how data is displayed based on the date range you set. This is important to understand before diving into the details.
By default, Ratals ERP will display the current month's data. That means if you log in today and head to the General Ledger, you'll see every transaction that has posted so far this month.
But of course, businesses often need to look beyond the current month. That's why Ratals ERP allows you to set your own date range filters. Want to see only last quarter's activity? No problem. Need to pull the GL for the entire year-to-date? Just select the correct start and end dates.
Once your date range is applied, the system will refresh and show you all accounts that have had transactions posted within that window. This way, you can focus only on the activity that matters to your reporting period.
After applying your date filters, Ratals ERP organizes your data into sections by account. Each account that had activity in the selected range will have its own section. This makes it easy to review transactions without scrolling through irrelevant information.
Each section includes a header row that identifies the account. The header shows:
This header is designed to give you context at a glance. You'll never wonder which account you're looking at, even if you're scrolling through dozens of sections.
Once you're inside an account section, Ratals ERP gives you a detailed view of each transaction. Each account section has 10 columns of data so you can analyze the numbers quickly and thoroughly, as shown below:
Here are the columns explained:
This setup makes it easy to follow how money is moving within each account. You'll know not just the transaction amounts, but also the cumulative effect on the account balance.
Every account section in Ratals ERP includes both a Starting Balance at the top and an Ending Balance at the bottom.
Example: If you set your start date as the 1st of this month, the starting balance reflects what the account ended at on the last day of the prior month. If your end date is today, the ending balance shows the current balance. If you set it to the last day of last month, the ending balance reflects that historical figure - not today's balance.
The date range filter is one of the most powerful features of the Ratals ERP general ledger, but it's also one of the most misunderstood.
For example:
In short:
Let's walk through a practical example:
This structure ensures that every dollar is accounted for and every entry reconciles correctly.
To close, let's return to why the general ledger matters so much. It isn't just another accounting feature - it's the core of your financial system.
With the general ledger in Ratals ERP, you can:
In other words, the general ledger isn't just about keeping your books balanced. It's about giving you confidence and clarity in your numbers so you can make smarter decisions for your business.
Ratals ERP was built to make accounting simpler, faster, and more reliable. The General Ledger section embodies that philosophy: clean organization, flexible date ranges, and detailed visibility into every account.
The next time you need to review your finances, pull up the GL, set your date range, and let Ratals do the heavy lifting. You'll always have an accurate, up-to-date picture of your financial health.
The general ledger is an organized view of all financial transactions created from your journal entries. In Ratals ERP, journal entries are the true source of data, and the GL displays them by account so you can clearly see debits, credits, balances, and transaction history in one place.
Date ranges control which journal entries are displayed in the GL. The starting balance reflects the account balance before your selected start date, while the ending balance shows the account balance as of your selected end date.
The starting balance is the account balance immediately before your chosen start date. The ending balance is the account balance as of your selected end date. Both are calculated based on the posted journal entries included in your date range.
Yes. Each GL row includes an "Edit" link that lets you open and edit the original journal entry behind that transaction. Since the GL is built from journal entries, this ensures full transparency and traceability.
The GL updates instantly. As soon as a journal entry is posted in Ratals ERP, it will display in the general ledger. Because the GL is built directly from journal entries, there is no delay or extra processing needed.
Differences often occur because of timing issues (like outstanding checks or deposits), unposted journal entries, or bank charges not yet recorded. Use the reconciliation tools in Admin to match your journal entries and GL balances against your bank statement.
Yes. You can export journal entries as CSV files from Admin > Admin > Export Data / Import Data. Since the GL is built from journal entries, the exported data comes from the accounting_journal_entries table, which stores the entries that make up the GL view. You can then import your changes, which will update the GL display. Use caution when importing, as this can overwrite records if entries are locked or closed.