Raw

To: Robert Salton  
From: John Jackson  
Subject: Big Chief monthly-file settlement can operate if the file is complete, balanced, and processed  

As a beverage supplier, we have drivers send delivery tickets to Finance; each ticket identifies the customer, outlet, delivery, amount, and date, and the tickets feed the national-accounts settlement process. Big Chief, a major multi-outlet customer, has asked to replace individual ticket settlement for account 8306 with a monthly computer file and one prepaid monthly payment, submitting delivery-ticket data electronically. Can the proposed settlement operate? It can operate if we ensure the file is complete, balance the file to zero, and process the balanced file.

1. Ensure the file is complete.  
   - Any external account file must contain the parent number, outlet number, ticket number, ticket amount, and delivery date.  
   - If Big Chief cannot provide the parent and outlet numbers, we can supply them from the customer master file for inclusion in later submissions.

2. Balance the file to zero.  
   - Big Chief will build an extraction program for its accounts-payable file.  
   - The resulting file will use the format accepted by our national-accounts cash-receipt system.  
   - Big Chief will send the file to Data Processing and send its cheque, with a detailed listing, to the lockbox.  
   - We will balance the file under the prescribed procedure; the cheque total and file detail must net to zero.

3. Process the balanced file.  
   - Once balanced, the monthly file will run through the national-accounts system.  
   - It will match ticket numbers against statement history and produce the relevant billing records.