PHASES OF THE OPERATION OF AN ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEM

The study of the SIC leads to the revision of the way in What? and how? its
components operate, to the effect that Catácora (1997) is more pragmatic in exposing a basic
operation of the SIC to manage the volume of information, thus promoting its specialization
and increase in computational storage capacity. From this conceptual point of view, the
operating scheme of an accounting system is not complex, as can be seen below.

In this sense, this topic will address each of the phases of the operation of an Accounting
Information System, which are: data entry, data validation, updating records and issuing
reports.

1. Phases of the operation of an Accounting Information System

The phases of the operation of a SIC are made up of a series of sections and
subsections that make up the platform through which the company's accounting
information travels. Consequently, the phases of the operation of an information
system are data entry, data validation, updating records and issuing reports.

2. Data Entry Phase

In an accounting information system, data entry is an elementary phase since it

demarcates the capture of inputs ( Data , Invoices , Money Orders , Various Purchase-
Sale Documents, among others.) that will subsequently be subjected to analysis and
transformation processes. in the accounting system.

Depending on the type of company and the technology available, this phase may or
may not be more dynamic; therefore, depending on the way the company is organized,
it may manage the accounting area under manual or, on the contrary, automated
schemes.

2.1. Data Entry Means

Now, the following question arises : How can data be entered into an
accounting information system? Without a doubt, the basic means to carry
out this phase of operation is the journal receipt , given that it is there where
the initial step of posting data to the system in question is marked.

The journal voucher consists of the design of an accounting record in the legal
journal at the system level that must be based on the accounting policies and
standards established in the company.

An accounting journal voucher is made up of two or more journal entries,

which in turn refer to at least one debit (debit) and one credit (credit). That is,
every time in accounting we affect an account either by debiting or crediting a
particular value, we are simultaneously making a daily accounting entry.

2.2. Data Entry Mode

 In a SIC the capture of data, that is; of the inputs for the accounting process (or
a form of data entry) is generally done through a journal voucher, and can be
loaded or reflected at the system level manually or in a mechanized manner.

Manual Manual data entry in the SIC, the information is

processed directly on physical media (Accounting Books
sealed by the respective Commercial Registry) or through
independent information terminals (Computers with
accounting applications not consolidated to other
activities and/or subsystems). of the company), thereby
requiring greater participation of the human factor

Machining In this modality, the SIC transfers the records in a more

agile and efficient way, since the entry of journal receipts
with fixed, secondary, or even electronic storage media is
supported, thus generating the necessary information for
the following phases in the operation of the SIC. system
in question. In other words, mechanized data entry is
when data capture can be developed through
information support mechanisms that normally digitize
economic transactions and, unlike the manual mode,
there is greater interaction with other organizational
subsystems (administrative , sales, operations, among
others); thus facilitating accounting management.

3. Data Validation Phase

This phase is the intermediate filter between the inputs and outputs of the SIC, hence
its importance for the reliability and consistency of the data that were previously
entered and that will subsequently be subjected to a process of transformation into
economic references, that is; in monetary units that can be read and interpreted as
financial information. Data validation verifies that the data entered complies with the
parameters established for data control.

4. Records Update Phase

This phase consists of the transfer of the movements from the general journal to each
of the general ledger accounts. This is where the bulk of the information occurs and
basically consists of the wholesale transfer of data that has been entered and of course
validated. Now, how can the company update its records through the SIC?

This can be in two ways: Interactively and in batch .

4.1. Updating Records Interactively

 Updating records “ interactively ” is one that works in real time, that is,
immediately.

4.2. Batch Record Update

Batch record updating focuses on a different mode than updating records

interactively, since it is aimed at accumulating operations at the end of a
specific period and then proceeding to process them.

5. Report Issuance Phase

The final phase of the SIC is the issuance of reports, which consists of the series of
reports generated from all the data once entered, compliance with validation
parameters verified and updated at the level of the majors in the catalog of accounts.

Consequently, the issuance of reports is effectively the data converted into

information for the various beneficiary users, simultaneously forming even the physical
evidence for accounting analysis and evaluation, also noting that reports such as: the
balance sheet , profits are a natural output of the SIC. and losses , among others.