Oracle introduced new functionality in R12 called ‘Alternate Account’. This functionality is very useful when you have a need to disable and/or end date an account combination within your chart of accounts or you have a significant requirement to change mass chart of account values.  There are two key uses of this functionality. Firstly, you may wish to make specific account combination(s) obsolete and replace it with new account combination(s). You may also wish to change a range of combinations that contain a specific value within a single segment (e.g. natural account XXXX) disabling all associated combinations and then add ’Alternate Accounts’ that have been changed. Alternate accounts can therefore be very useful if you have a significant account combination change requirements within your chart of accounts. The screen shot below shows the definition of an alternate account on single combination.

Secondly, the functionality is particularly helpful when you have open transactions created against the end dated/disabled account combinations. This is the interesting element to defining alternate accounts. For example, where you have a number of sub ledger transactions that have already been accounted against the end dated or disabled combinations and are transactions that are still in process, e.g. an invoice on hold, you do not need to change the accounting created on these existing transactions. When these transactions are subsequently imported into General Ledger (GL), the old combinations are automatically replaced with the alternate account combination(s) during the journal import and create accounting process. This adds value and efficiency to transaction processing and prevents the need for mass changes to ‘In Process’ transactions. It also prevents import errors and reduces the amount of manual intervention from a user.

There are some considerations that require thought when using this functionality:

• Alternate Accounts do not currently work with encumbrance accounting
• When reconciling GL and AP/AR code combinations balances at period end you will need to include the alternate account related transactions since the sub ledger balance will be based on the disabled accounts, however, the GL balance will include alternative account based balances.    

I hope you find this useful.
Ian