Vendor Bill Out-of-balance
One form of data corruption results when a transaction is out-of-balance; the header doesn't equal the detail lines.
“Oh my gosh, my Balance Sheet is out of balance; I know, I will call the Data Detective.”
After examining the QBWin.log file, the Data Detective finds the clue he needs (it looks a lot like this):
Error: Verify Target: Transaction out of balance. Account = Accounts Payable. Date = 8/9/2012
verify.c (7003): CHECKPOINT (computed transBalance:$6.00 and transHomeBalance:$6.00)
verify.c (11855): CHECKPOINT: Type: bill
verify.c (11421): CHECKPOINT: txn#: 14920 date: 08/09/2012
verify.c (11424): CHECKPOINT: doc#: 008589677
verify.c (11922): CHECKPOINT: Distrib
verify.c (11926): CHECKPOINT: accnt: Freight and Shipping Costs
verify.c (11929): CHECKPOINT: $:6.00
verify.c (11935): CHECKPOINT: Customer name: RG Blinds
verify.c (11941): CHECKPOINT: Vendor name: Spring Window Fashions
verify.c (11948): CHECKPOINT: item: UPS
In the above form it may be almost like reading ancient Greek, but in reality the clue is easily decoded. The transactionID (which is an internal ID number) is: 14920; but the document has a reference you entered (the Ref.Doc.)Number of: 008589677, this can be easily ‘searched for’ within QuickBooks. The Transaction-type is a Bill (a Vendor Bill) and because it is a Bill, the Source-Account is (obviously): Accounts Payable; the Transaction-date was on: 8/9/2012; and the Vendor was: Springs Window Fashions, LLC; the Item resulting in the out-of-balance is: UPS; and that item points to a Target-Account of: Freight and Shipping Costs; and the Target Item-line Amount is: $6.00; and you apparently ordered what you purchased for your customer: RG Blinds. With all of these ‘clues’ you should be able to easily track down the transaction.
Sure enough the Data Detective found the culprit; it’s the figure shown at the top of this article. As you can see the amount in the header of the transaction doesn’t equal the sum of the two lines that make up the details of the transaction. Obviously the $6.00 UPS freight item has not been included in the transaction total; so the transaction is out-of-balance. You ask, how can this happen, how could an out-of-balance transaction be saved? Well this type of error typically occurs when a transaction is saved automatically during roll-back at an unexpected closing event. If QuickBooks improperly shuts down, or the connection between the QuickBooks application and QuickBooks database server is lost, a transaction can be saved by the Database Server prior to re-computation. The good news is that this type of error is easily corrected by forcing its’ recalculation, saving the recalculated transaction, and then running the Rebuild Utility.
Now that you know how to interpret the clues you find in the QBWin.log, you won’t need the Data Detective in the future. And you don’t need him to help you fix this error either. Just follow the steps below; they are a ‘simple solution’:
Step1 – Prepare for Repair
- All users should ‘log-out’ of QuickBooks.
- On the Server, Log-into QuickBooks as Administrator (Admin) in Single-user Mode, or switch to Single-user Mode after all users log-out.
- Make a ‘back-up’ of your QuickBooks file.
Step 2 – Repair the Out of Balance Transaction
- Use the search utility to locate the transaction using the Vendor name, Date, and Number.
- Once you have located the transaction, open the transaction.
- Click the “Recalculate” button at the bottom left of the transaction.
- Click the “Save” button at the bottom right of the transaction.
Step 3 – Run the Rebuild Utility
- From the File Menu, select the Utilities Menu
- From the Utilities Menu, select the Rebuild option
- Click OK to the “QuickBooks Information” prompt concerning Backup
- When the Options window appears, select the option for ‘No Verification”
- Allow the Rebuild Process to Complete.
Step 4 – Switch the QuickBooks file back to Multi-user Mode
- You may then log-out and other users may return to using the file normally.