Re: How to mass delete vendors
Hi Corey,
Some criteria needs to be met in order for the system to delete vendors. You can delete a one time vendor in the vendor maintenance screen, even if documents and history are still within the retention period. You will get a message asking if you are sure you want to delete the vendor, even though the retention period has not been met, but it will let you delete the vendor. This is assuming the vendor has no open documents.
For a one time vendor to be deleted in the AP Delete Detail screen, it has to meet several criteria. The delete detail is really three separate processes. One deletes documents based on a comparison of the number of periods you are retaining detail, and the period the document was closed. There is a complicating factor in Accounts Payable. If you are retaining AP checks for reconciliation, the system will assume that if the check is not reconciled, it cannot be deleted. So even if you had a voucher that was paid in period 01-2005 and you are only retaining detail for 24 periods, if the check was never cleared and is still outstanding, then the check cannot be deleted, and if the check cannot be deleted, the voucher the check paid cannot be deleted and thus the vendor cannot be deleted either.
A second process deletes vendor history based on a comparison of the number of years history is being retained, and the oldest history record for the vendor.
The third process, which is optional, deletes vendors with no activity subsequent to the date entered. This of course assumes that the documents and history either can be deleted or have already been deleted.
I hope this information provides a little insight as to why your vendors may have not been deleted. it helps to take one vendor as an example, and see if that vendor has any history or uncleared checks or other documents remaining in the system which would prevent that vendor from being deleted.
You could print the Vendor Trial Balance, All Documents to see if the vendors you are hoping to delete have any documents in the system.