Review the tips and tricks below for assistance with completing the Daily Activity Entry. In this article you'll find instructions on how to clear Auto Import Errors, locate common reasons for imbalances, and frequently used troubleshooting techniques. 

What are Auto Import Errors?

Auto Import Errors occur when new Charge Codes or Rate Codes are added to the PMS and the item must be mapped to an Inn-Flow Chart of Account so that it imports automatically in the future. The process of Mapping Auto-Import Errors is important for balancing the Dailies, as well as maintaining accurate financial reporting.

• Charge Code - A code in your PMS system that defines or categorizes a transaction or individual charge, i.e. a Pet Fee or Occupancy Tax Adj. These are commonly alphanumeric, and their formatting varies between PMS systems. These will be associated with yours COAs to contribute to your financial statements.
• Rate Code - a code that defines and categorizes an individual room night's revenue typically based on its booking origin like Expedia or Agoda; its negotiated rate like the government, a corporate, AAA, etc; or locally negotiated rates like local events. These will provide a clear picture of where your booked business is coming from.

Clearing Auto Import Errors 

Step 1: Identify the Type of Code

1. Go to Accounting → Daily Activity Entry → Click on the Auto Import Errors box that is in Red.

2. Review the list of Auto-Import errors, and identify the Type of Code that should be mapped. Use this quick reference guide to determine whether your error is a Rate Code or a Charge Code. 

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Step 2: Map Charge Code Errors

1. Click on the line for the Auto Import error.
2. In the Type dropdown menu, select Revenue, Non-Revenue, or Payment. In the Mapping Item dropdown menu, select the correct code if it exists or choose Add New.

3. To Add New, fill in the details as shown in the screenshot below. 

Required Fields: 

• Daily Activity Group - this is automatically filled based on the selection in the Type dropdown menu. 
• Item Number - The item number will be found on your PMS Reports. Using the correct Item number or identifier allows you to easily find and enter the Daily Activity when that item is used.
• Item Name - this is automatically filled based on the Auto Import Error name. 
• COA No. or COA Name - If you are unsure of the proper COA selection, contact your Accounting or Corporate team for further guidance.
• Note: Items in the Payment Daily Activity group will be limited to only Payment type COA's such as Cash & Checks, Visa, or Wire Transfer, or a Liability COA. Expense or Revenue COA's cannot be utilized for an item within the Payments section.

4. Click Save.

5. Repeat until all Charge Codes have been mapped.

Step 3: Map Rate Code Errors

1. Click on the line for the Auto Import error.

2. In the Type dropdown menu, select Segmentation. In the Mapping Item dropdown menu, select the correct code if it exists. If it does not exist, select Close and Proceed to the next step. 

3. If the Rate Code does not exist, return to the Accounting Menu, and select the page for Rate Code Mapping. Click Add Rate Code.

Fill in the required fields. The Rate Code and Rate Name, and select the Segmentation that this code belongs to from the dropdown menu. Then Save. If you are unsure about the correct Segmentation category, consult your Corporate Team or Revenue Manager.

Once your Rate Code has been added, return to the Auto Import errors tab, and proceed with Mapping Rate Code Errors: Step 2 above.

4. Once the Rate Code has been added and/or selected, Save.

5. Repeat until all Rate Codes have been mapped. 

When all Auto-Import Errors have been cleared, the data will import. Then, you can continue with the Daily Activity Entry Process. 

Note: If you do not have the Role Permissions granted to process Auto-Import Errors, reach out to your Corporate Team to complete the mapping for you, or to grant you access to this feature. If you are unsure of where to map an item, please reach out to your corporate team for guidance in order to keep accurate financials. 

Common Reasons for Daily Activity Balance Forward Variances

Segmentation Variances - Within Daily Activity, if the amount of Occupied Rooms in the Statistic Section is different than the amount of Occupied Rooms in the Segmentation Section, you will receive an error. Also, if there is a variance between the Room Revenue Total within the Revenue Section and the Room Revenue Total within the Segmentation section, you will receive an error. Here are the steps to troubleshoot a mismatch of Segmentation within Daily Activity Entry: Why is my Segmentation not Matching Room Revenue or Rooms Occupied?

Actual Bank Deposits Differ from PMS Report - The purpose of the Deposit Audit section of Daily Activity Entry is to reconcile the Actual Deposits Captured when they vary from the PMS Total. The figures for the PMS Total fields pull from the Payment section of Daily Activity Entry, which is entered based on the PMS Daily Closing Reports. The figures for the Actual Deposits Captured fields are entered based on the cash deposit ticket and the credit card transmission reports.  Here is a helpful article that will assist with recording Actual Deposits so that they can be accurately reconciled: How do I complete the Deposits Audit in Daily Activity Entry?

Missing Dates - if the current date is displaying a balance forward variance, but you are unable to recognize the reason, check the previous day. Ensure that the data is filled in, and the ledgers are accurately entered.

Import did not Occur - If your Daily Activity is set up to automatically import each day, but it did not, there are a few reasons this may have failed. 

1. All or some files were not received from your PMS. At times, PMS systems can fail to send all of the reports necessary to import the data. In the case of missing reports, the import will not occur. Check the setup of the reports within your PMS to ensure that nothing has changed. 

2. The Night Audit Process of rolling the day did not occur prior to the reports being sent. PMS reports should set up to send after audit is completed. If the date is rolled late or not at all, the PMS will send reports for the previous day, and the import will fail. Make certain that your auditors are completing the audit prior to the time the reports are sent to Inn-Flow.

3. Manual Entry Occurred: If a user from the Property enters into the Daily Activity Entry page, and makes any changes, the system will believe that you plan to enter that date manually, and will block the import from overwriting the manual entry. Make certain that no one is making any changes on this page before the import occurs, as this will halt the import process. 

Note: It is the responsibility of the Property Managers to guarantee their PMS setup is accurate. Inn-Flow Support is unable to make changes to your PMS setup, but we're happy to identify any missing reports to guide you on what may need to be repaired.

If the Automatic Import has failed, Inn-Flow may offer a Manual Import option for your PMS. Please check out the Night Audit Reports and Integrations article for more information on options for your PMS.

We also offer a template option, if you feel more comfortable entering the Daily Activity data into an excel file, and manually importing the file:  How to import daily activity data via a template?