Create a BAI Uniform

To import and process the BAI files, you must create at least one BAI uniform. This defines a specific BAI schema.

The Bank Administration Institute (BAI) is a non-profit organization which provides standards for inter-bank transactions and bank-to-business transactions. There are many detailed banking transaction codes that the BAI has synthesized into a few hundred standard type codes.

A BAI file is a text file, which contains details of banking transactions in a standardized format. These files can contain more detailed and granular information than other file formats. Many banks can provide an electronic bank statement in a BAI format.

You will need to work with your particular banks to set up the file transfer and security protocols to import the electronic BAI files into your environment. Contact NIC Systems for help in this area and we can assist you as needed.

See BAI File for the file structure.

1. Choose the icon, enter BAI Uniforms, and then choose the related link.

2. On the BAI Uniforms page, select New.

3. On the BAI Uniform page, in the General FastTab, populate the following fields:

   Field	Description
   Code	Enter a code that represents the bank sending the BAI file.
   Sender ID	Enter the ID of the sender. The ID is provided by the bank.
   Receiver ID	Enter the ID of the receiver. The ID is provided by the bank.
   Journal Template Name	Select the general journal template you want to use for posting entries to the general ledger.
   Journal Batch Name	Select the general journal batch you want to use for posting entries to the general ledger.
   Date Format	Select the format of the dates in the BAI file.

4. Select Initiate BAI Uniform 1 or Initiate BAI Uniform 2 to import a BAI schema, which populates the Lines FastTab with BAI codes.

   Note

   Selecting an Initiate BAI Uniform action will overwrite any existing BAI codes.

   The BAI codes will be set up with standard BAI uniform columns but they can be changed if needed. The BAI uniform columns define the mapping of the specific BAI file columns for individual BAI records to the appropriate fields in Business Central in the bank statement.

   Important

   While you can delete lines, it is not recommended.

5. If applicable, you can add a 16 line with a new BAI type code.

   1. In the Lines FastTab, select Manage > New Line.

   2. Populate the following fields:

   Field	Description
   Record	Enter 16.
   BAI Type Code	Enter the BAI type code.
   BAI Type Description	Enter a description of the code.
   BAI Type Transaction Type	Select if the transaction is a Debit or Credit.
   Function Type	If a BAI value needs to be recorded in the general journal, such as 354 Interest/Adjustment, and 577 ZBA Debit Transfer, then select a function type. Interest Adjustment: Requires a G/L account number to be selected in the Function Account No.. ZBA Sweep: Requires a bank account number to be selected in the Function Account No.. These function values will populate the general journal using the template and batch defined in the General FastTab.
   Function Account No.	If Interest Adjustment was selected, enter a G/L account number. If ZBA Sweep was selected, enter a bank account number.

6. If a new line was added, add BAI uniform columns to the codes.

   You can copy existing columns to the new code.

   To view existing columns, select a line, and select Line > Columns.

   1. In the Lines FastTab, select the record with the columns you want to copy.

   2. Select Line > Functions > Copy Columns.

   3. Select the line you want to copy the columns to.

   4. Select Line > Functions > Paste Columns.

7. Map the BAI column fields to Business Central tables and fields.

   1. Select the line you want to map.

   2. Select Line > Columns.

   3. Populate the following fields:

      Field	Description
      Table No	Select the Business Central table number. Commonly used tables are 270: Bank Account 273: Bank Acc. Reconciliation 274: Bank Acc. Reconciliation Line
      Field No.	Select the field to which to map the BAI code.
      BAI Column No.
      Transaction Type	If the >Record Code has a value of 16, select if the transaction is a Debit or Credit.

8. In the General FastTab, populate the following field:

   Field	Description
   Enabled	Turn the toggle on to make the record active and to allow BAI files to be imported. The record cannot be changed when the toggle is turned on.