Yikes! Missing Transaction Numbers!

Once every few months, I will get an email from a client or coworker concerned because they have gaps in their transaction numbers in GP.  When I say "transaction numbers" I mean the automatically generated unique numbers GP assigned to transactions- like bank transfer numbers, bank transaction numbers, journal entry numbers, payables voucher numbers, receivables invoice numbers, etc.

So, first things first, DO NOT PANIC.  I repeat, DO NOT PANIC.  As a side note, my daughter loves the children's book "Dragons Love Tacos".  If you have not checked it out (even if you don't have kids), you should.  But back to the subject at hand, gaps in transaction numbers assigned by GP are to be expected because they are assigned when transactions are entered.  Like in this example...

• Sally starts a payables invoice, is assigned voucher #1
• Mark starts a payables invoice, is assigned voucher #2
• Tammy starts a payables invoice, is assigned voucher #3

Now, at this point, Mark deletes his invoice instead of posting it.  The numbering will still continue forward with #4 being the next number assigned.  So there will be a gap for missing #2.

So what to do about it?  To be able to judge if something has been removed from the system at the database level?  Well, don't use transaction numbers to do that.  Use the Audit Trail Code (ATC).  The ATC is assigned when a transaction post (transactions posted in batches are assigned the same audit trail code) and follows the transaction to the GL as the originating source.  Because the ATC is assigned at posting, the only way one would be missing is if it was deleted from the database itself.  And if a subledger ATC does not exist in the GL, you know that the batch was deleted from the GL and not posted (if you are posting to, not through).

So where do you find the ATC?  It appears on the posting journals for the subledger posting, as CMTRX000002 or PMTRX000056.  For a full list of Audit Trail Codes and their meaning, refer to Tools-Setup-Posting-Audit Trail Codes in Dynamics GP.


Christina Phillips is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and Dynamics GP Certified Professional. She is a senior managing consultant with BKD Technologies, providing training, support, and project management services to new and existing Microsoft Dynamics customers. This blog represents her views only, not those of her employer.