NetSuite Error Message Resolutions

Audience: Accounting Manager, Payment Authorizer, and ERP Admin

Summary: Reviews the most common sync errors for NetSuite and MineralTree, how they occur, and how to resolve them.

Click on the error message you've received to learn how to resolve it:

• “Fields configured as mandatory in NetSuite are missing from the invoice."
• “We were unable to locate this invoice in NetSuite."
• “Payment can't be synced because bills aren't open in NetSuite."
• "The selected Accounting Period is closed in NetSuite. Please select an open Accounting Period."
• “This purchase order cannot be billed before it is received in the accounting system."
• The Invoice Date you specified is not within the date range of the selected Posting Period.
• "The selected Accounting Period is locked in NetSuite. Please select an unlocked Accounting Period."

 

“Fields configured as mandatory in NetSuite are missing from the invoice.” 

This error message means that NetSuite is missing data from mandatory fields in the MineralTree invoice. This error message can be resolved in two ways:

1. By the NetSuite admin and MineralTree Accounting Manager if the field is not mandatory.
2. By the MineralTree Accounting Manager if the field is mandatory.

 

If the Field is Not Mandatory

Have a NetSuite administrator use the Customize Form feature to make the necessary changes in NetSuite. 

In NetSuite, mark the field as not mandatory. To do that, go to Bills and then select the Edit link next to any bill.

On the far right, click Customize > Customize Form as shown in the screenshot below.

That will open the Custom Transaction Form Here, click Screen Fields to see the customizable fields.

Then find the field that you want to modify. For example, maybe you no longer want the Department field to be a mandatory field.  In this case, you would uncheck the Mandatory box next to Department, as shown below. After clicking Save, the field will no longer be mandatory.

In MineralTree, Save the bill again.

 

If the Field is Mandatory

If the field needs to be mandatory and you want the field validated in MineralTree, please submit a request to MineralTree Support and designate which field you would like to be mandatory. 

MineralTree has the ability to mark additional fields as mandatory at the customer's request. This is typically done at implementation time, but if you would like to add a mandatory field after that, please contact MineralTree Support. You will be asked to provide the field names of those you would like to be mandatory, and then a Support professional will configure that for you.

For example, in the screenshot below, the Department field is not currently a mandatory field. By having MineralTree Support change Department to be a mandatory field, the department will be required for every invoice going forward, and in fact, a user will no longer be able to Save this invoice without first providing a department. Should a user attempt to Save without providing a department, a validation error indicating the exact field that is missing data will be displayed that enables the user to easily self-correct and move forward.  

NOTE:

MineralTree has certain standard mandatory fields which are indicated by a red asterisk (*). Please be aware that MineralTree-designated, custom, mandatory fields will not bear the red asterisk (*). Check with your administrator for a full list of mandatory fields.  

MineralTree Expanded Dimensions fields are NetSuite-designated, custom fields.  When they are created in NetSuite, they're synced to a MineralTree configuration screen under Company Profile.  These can be designated as mandatory fields, and these will bear the red asterisk (*) beside the field name in MineralTree.

It's also possible for other fields to be required by NetSuite that MineralTree is not aware of.  For NetSuite, these fields could be on the Summary or Expense / Item level of the invoice.

 

“We were unable to locate this invoice in NetSuite.” 

This error message was reported because a bill was deleted in NetSuite and there is no ability to synchronize that deletion back to MineralTree. 

This error message can be resolved in two ways:

1. By the NetSuite admin and MineralTree Accounting Manager if the bill should not have been deleted from NetSuite. The options are:
   • Start from scratch with a new bill
   • Manually adjust records in NetSuite. 
2. By the MineralTree Accounting Manager if the bill should have been deleted and not paid in MineralTree. 
   • The relevant records need to be deleted in MineralTree to match NetSuite.

 

OPTION 1a: Start from scratch with a new bill.

1. Void the payment and issue a stop payment with your bank.
2. Delete the bill in MineralTree. To do that, click the trash can icon on the invoice, then confirm by clicking OK.
3. Then create a new bill from scratch in NetSuite.

 

OPTION 1b: Manually adjust records in NetSuite.

1. Create a new bill in NetSuite and manually mark it as paid.
2. Clear the sync error in MineralTree. From Payment Details, click the down arrow on the Resync button, then click Clear Sync Errors.

Note: With option 1b., one bill will appear as paid in NetSuite, and two bills will appear as paid in MineralTree. This may not be a concern if NetSuite is your system of record. If this is a concern, consider voiding the payment and deleting the bill for the original bad bill/payment combo in MineralTree. Be sure the removal of Payment Approval / Invoice Approval history is an acceptable practice within your organization.

If neither option 1a. nor 1b. solve your problem, contact MineralTree Customer Support.

1. Create a new bill in NetSuite.
2. Ensure that bill syncs to MineralTree.
3. Call MineralTree Customer Support and ask them to tie the new bill in NetSuite to the existing bill in MineralTree and repair the data on the backend.

 

OPTION 2: This bill should have been deleted and should not have been paid in MineralTree. 

1. Void the payment in MineralTree. Go to Payment Details and click the VOID button.  
2. Delete the bill in MineralTree. To do that, click the trash can icon on the invoice, then confirm by clicking OK. 
3.  Contact your bank to stop the payment.

 

“Payment can't be synced because bills aren't open in NetSuite."

To resolve this error, follow the instructions below for the option that most closely matches your scenario.

1. The payments in MineralTree and NetSuite are different, and MineralTree has the correct payment. 
2. The payments in MineralTree and NetSuite are different, and NetSuite has the correct payment. 
3. The payments in MineralTree and NetSuite are the same, and there’s no need to adjust the data.

 

The payments in MineralTree and NetSuite are different, and MineralTree has the correct payment.

The MineralTree Accounting Manager and NetSuite Administrator can resolve this. 

1. Void the payment in NetSuite. To do that, first open Bill Payments and then select the Edit link for the bill you want to void.
2. Click the Void button.
3. From MineralTree, Resync the payment from MineralTree to NetSuite. To do that, open the Payment Details page and click the Resync button as shown below.

 NOTE: If you have duplicate checks in the mail, either work with your bank to determine which one is valid and take appropriate action (e.g. have the bank issue a stop payment or reverse the ACH payment), or, work with your vendor to get a credit on the next invoice.

 To avoid receiving this error in the future, consider checking the status of the bill in MineralTree before marking it as PAID in NetSuite. For example, if the bill is in the Awaiting Payment Approval state in MineralTree, marking it as PAID in NetSuite will cause a conflict and generate the error message.   

 

The payments in MineralTree and NetSuite are different, and NetSuite has the correct payment.

1. Void the payment in MineralTree. To do that, open the Payment Details page and click the VOID button, as shown below.
2. The payment from NetSuite will then sync from NetSuite to MineralTree.

NOTE: If you have duplicate checks in the mail, either work with your bank to determine which one is valid and take appropriate action (e.g. have the bank issue a stop payment or reverse the ACH payment), or, work with your vendor to get a credit on the next invoice.

To avoid receiving this error in the future, consider checking the status of the bill in MineralTree before marking it as PAID in NetSuite. For example, if the bill is in the Awaiting Payment Approval state in MineralTree, marking it as PAID in NetSuite will cause a conflict and generate the error message.   

 

The payments in MineralTree and NetSuite are the same, and there’s no need to adjust the data.

1. Leave NetSuite record as is.
2. In MineralTree, clear sync errors. To do that, open the Payment Details page and select the down arrow on the Resync button as shown below. Then click Clear Sync Errors. NOTE: To avoid receiving this error in the future, consider checking the status of the bill in MineralTree before marking it as PAID in NetSuite. For example, if the bill is in the Awaiting Payment Approval state in MineralTree, marking it as PAID in NetSuite will cause a conflict and generate the error message.

 

"The selected Accounting Period is closed in NetSuite. Please select an open Accounting Period."

 There are two possible ways to resolve this error. Click each option below to learn more. 

1. Choose a different posting period in MineralTree (Accounting Manager)
2. Reopen and unlock the Accounting Period in NetSuite. Then post the invoice to the period in MineralTree (NetSuite Admin/Accounting Manager) 

 

Choose a Different Posting Period in MineralTree.

1. Log into MineralTree as an Accounting Manager user.
2. Navigate to the invoice details by clicking on the invoice number link from the Invoices or Search tabs.
3. Choose an open Posting Period, which is usually the current month. In the example below, the Invoice Date is 11/21/18, so we’d select Nov 2018 for the Posting Period.
4. Post the invoice to NetSuite.

    

Reopen and unlock the Accounting Period in NetSuite, then post the invoice to the period in MineralTree.

PLEASE NOTE: Although this is a valid solution, it is not a common one. Once a period has been closed, it usually stays closed, so check with your NetSuite administrator before making this change.

1. Open NetSuite and navigate to: Setup > Accounting > Manage Accounting Periods
2. On the Manage Accounting Periods page, open the month you are interested in by choosing the magnifying glass icon in the CHECKLIST column.
3. When the Period Close Checklist page opens, you will see that all tasks are locked and the period is closed. To reopen this period, select the arrow icon to the left of Close.  
4. Enter justification for the change, click the Reopen Period button, and then click OK to the warning that pops up.
5. Next, you will unlock the task. In the Period Close Checklist, click the arrow to the left of Lock A/P.
6. In the Task: Lock Accounting Period (A/P) page, click the Unlock button.
7. The Lock A/P status will then indicate it is unlocked.
8. In MineralTree, you may now post the invoice to the unlocked Posting Period.

 

“This purchase order cannot be billed before it is received in the accounting system."

There are two main paths to resolution for this error. Click the option that best meets your needs.

1. Prevent bills from being created for non-received purchase orders.
2. Enable the BILL IN ADVANCE OF RECEIPT setting in NetSuite, or if you want to make a one-time exception.

 

Prevent Bills from Being Created for Non-received Purchase Orders. 

Wait until the PO is received in NetSuite, and then re-sync the bill from MineralTree by opening the invoice in MineralTree and clicking the Resync button. 

To prevent this error from occurring in the future, contact MineralTree support.  Support can enable a configuration setting that will make it so invoices will never be able to connect to purchase orders that have not been received in NetSuite.

1. For this solution, we’ve made the assumption that the NetSuite setting, Setup > Accounting > Accounting Preferences > Order Management > BILL IN ADVANCE OF RECEIPT is Disabled means that it is not checked, as shown in the image below.  
2. Have your NetSuite Administrator allow unreceived POs to be billed.
3. Then, Resync the bill from MineralTree to NetSuite by opening the invoice in MineralTree and clicking the Resync button.

 

The Invoice Date you specified is not within the date range of the selected Posting Period.

There are three possible ways to resolve this error. Click each option to learn more.

1. Modify the Invoice Date so it falls within the date range of the Posting Period. (Accounting Manager)
2. Modify the Posting Period to one that encompasses the Invoice Date. (Accounting Manager)
3. Allow the Invoice Date and Posting Period to be different. (NetSuite Admin)

 

Modify the Invoice Date so it falls within the date range of the Posting Period.

1. Log into MineralTree as an Accounting Manager user.
2. Navigate to the Invoice Details for this invoice by clicking on the Invoice Number link from the INVOICES or SEARCH
3. Update the Invoice Date to fall within the Posting Period. Press the Save and Resyc button. (See Below)

 

Modify the Posting Period to one that encompasses the Invoice Date.

1. Log into MineralTree as an Account Manager user.
2. Navigate to the Invoice Details for this invoice by clicking on the Invoice Number link from the INVOICES or SEARCH tab. 
3. Update the Posting Period to correspond to the Invoice Date. Save and Resyc button. (See Below)

 

Allow the Invoice Date and the Posting Period to be different.

IMPORTANT:  Since this is related to posting rules in NetSuite, an important part of accounting functionality, you may want to check with your NetSuite administrator before making this change, or have the administrator make the change for you.

1. Open NetSuite and go to: Setup > Accounting > Accounting Preferences
2. Using the menu under ALLOW TRANSACTION DATE OUTSIDE OF POSTING PERIOD, select Allow. 

Read the Field Help dialog above to learn about the differences between Disallow, Warn and Allow. 

 

"The selected Accounting Period is locked in NetSuite. Please select an unlocked Accounting Period."

There are two possible ways to resolve this error:

• Choose a different (unlocked) Posting Period in MineralTree. (Accounting Manager)
• Unlock the Accounting Period in NetSuite, then post the invoice to that unlocked period in MineralTree. (Accounting Manager/NetSuite Admin)

 

Choose a different (unlocked) Posting Period in MineralTree.

1. Log into MineralTree as an Accounting Manager user.
2. Navigate to the invoice details by clicking on the invoice number link from the INVOICES or SEARCH tab. 
3. Choose an open Posting Period, which is usually the current month. 
4. Press the Save and Resync button. 

 

Unlock the Accounting Period in NetSuite, then post the invoice to that unlocked period in MineralTree.

PLEASE NOTE: Although this is a valid solution, it is not a common one. Once a period has been locked, it usually stays locked, so check with your NetSuite administrator before making this change. Also, if an Accounting Period has already been Closed, it must be reopened before it can be unlocked. An administrator would normally reopen the period, at which point you may unlock it.

1. Open NetSuite and go to: Setup > Accounting > Manage Accounting Periods 
2. On the Manage Accounting Periods page, open the month you are interested in by choosing the magnifying glass icon in the CHECKLIST column
3. When the Period Close Checklist page opens, you will see the cause of the error message - namely that the Lock A/P task is locked. To unlock this task, select the arrow icon to the left of Lock A/P. 
4. Select the Unlock button 
5. The Lock A/P status will then indicate it is unlocked.
6. In MineralTree, you may now select the posting period and Save and Resync the invoice.