🧾 Closing Accounting Periods in iDempiere: Common Errors and How to Fix Them

 Closing accounting periods in iDempiere is a critical step to ensure financial integrity and compliance. However, many users encounter errors that block the process or lead to inconsistencies. In this article, I’ll walk you through the most common issues and how to resolve them using practical steps and SQL queries.

🔍 Issue 1: “Cannot close period due to unposted documents”

Cause: There are documents (invoices, payments, etc.) that haven’t been posted to accounting.

Solution:

1. Navigate to: Accounting > Unposted Documents.

2. Filter by the period you want to close.

3. Review and manually post any pending documents.

Helpful SQL Query:

sql

SELECT * FROM fact_acct
WHERE dateacct BETWEEN '2025-01-01' AND '2025-01-31'
AND processed = 'N';

🔍 Issue 2: “Period is closed but accounting entries are still being generated”

Cause: The accounting period is closed, but the document period remains open.

Solution:

1. Go to Accounting > Periods.

2. Make sure both the accounting period and the document period are closed.

3. Check for any automated processes that might be generating entries outside the valid date range.

🔍 Issue 3: “Error during closing process: ‘Cannot close due to inconsistent balances’”

Cause: Some accounting entries are unbalanced or incomplete.

Solution:

1. Run an audit using SQL to detect discrepancies.

2. Look for entries without counterpart accounts or with incorrect account assignments.

Correct SQL to detect unbalanced entries:

sql

SELECT ad_table_id, record_id,
       SUM(amtacctdr - amtacctcr) AS difference
FROM fact_acct
WHERE dateacct BETWEEN '2025-01-01' AND '2025-01-31'
GROUP BY ad_table_id, record_id
HAVING SUM(amtacctdr - amtacctcr) <> 0;

This query helps you identify documents that generated incorrect or incomplete accounting entries. You can then open the source document from the “Accounting Fact Details” window in iDempiere to investigate further.

🛠️ Best Practices Before Closing a Period

• Ensure all documents are posted.

• Confirm both accounting and document periods are closed.

• Run SQL audits to detect inconsistencies.

• Always back up your database before closing.