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Part 1: Journal Entry and General Ledger Structures

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A. Journal Entry Structure & Form

A journal entry requires a header (for general information) and lines (for the debit/credit details). 1. Database Migrations (journal_entries & journal_entry_lines) 
// database/migrations/xxxx_create_journal_entries_table.php
Schema::create('journal_entries', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->date('entry_date');
    $table->string('description');
    $table->string('reference_number')->nullable();
    $table->enum('status', ['draft', 'pending_approval', 'approved', 'posted', 'rejected'])->default('draft');
    $table->foreignId('created_by')->constrained('users');
    $table->foreignId('approved_by')->nullable()->constrained('users');
    $table->timestamps();
});

// database/migrations/xxxx_create_journal_entry_lines_table.php
Schema::create('journal_entry_lines', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->foreignId('journal_entry_id')->constrained('journal_entries')->onDelete('cascade');
    $table->string('account_code', 10);
    $table->foreign('account_code')->references('account_code')->on('dim_chart_of_accounts');
    $table->enum('type', ['debit', 'credit']);
    $table->decimal('amount', 15, 2);
    $table->string('line_description')->nullable();
    // Optional Dimensional Tags
    $table->string('cost_center_code')->nullable();
    $table->string('project_code')->nullable();
    $table->timestamps();
});
2. Standard Form Layout (Conceptual) A web form for creating a journal entry would look like this:
Create Journal Entry
  • Entry Date: [ 2023-10-27 ]
  • Description: [ Payment for monthly office rent - Oct 2023 ]
  • Reference: [ INV-RENT-1023 ]
Entry Lines:
AccountLine DescriptionCost CenterDebitCredit
[ 82100 - Rent Expense ]Office Rent[ CC-HCGA ][ 50,000.00 ][ ]
[ 11100 - Cash - Operating ]Payment from main account[ ][ ][ 50,000.00 ]
[ + Add Line ]
Totals:
  • Debit: 50,000.00
  • Credit: 50,000.00
  • Balance: 0.00 (Must be 0 to submit)

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[ Save as Draft ] [ Submit for Approval ]

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B. General Ledger (GL) Structure

The GL is the final, immutable record of all transactions, aggregated by account. It’s built from posted journal entries. Database Migration (general_ledger) 
// database/migrations/xxxx_create_general_ledger_table.php
Schema::create('general_ledger', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->string('account_code', 10);
    $table->foreign('account_code')->references('account_code')->on('dim_chart_of_accounts');
    $table->date('entry_date');
    $table->foreignId('journal_entry_line_id')->constrained('journal_entry_lines');
    $table->decimal('debit', 15, 2)->default(0);
    $table->decimal('credit', 15, 2)->default(0);
    $table->decimal('balance', 15, 2); // The running balance for this account at this point in time
    $table->string('description');
    $table->timestamps();
});

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Part 2: The Journal Posting Process

This process ensures accuracy, control, and auditability.
  1. Creation (Status: draft): An accountant creates a journal entry. The system validates that Debits = Credits. The entry has no financial impact yet.
  2. Verification (Status: pending_approval): The entry is submitted. A manager or senior accountant receives a notification. They review the entry for correctness (accounts used, amounts, description, supporting documents).
  3. Approval/Rejection (Status: approved / rejected):
  • If correct, the manager sets the status to approved. The approved_by field is populated.
  • If incorrect, it’s set to rejected with a reason, and it goes back to the creator.
  1. Posting (Status: posted): This is the crucial step that writes to the General Ledger. It should be an atomic, transactional process, often run as a scheduled job or triggered manually by an authorized user.
  • The system fetches all journal entries with status = 'approved'.
  • For each journal_entry_line in the entry:
  • It calculates the last balance for the given account_code from the general_ledger table.
  • It creates a new record in the general_ledger table.
  • The new balance is calculated: previous_balance + debit - credit.
  • After all lines are successfully written to the GL, the journal entry’s status is updated to posted.
  • A posted journal entry should be immutable. It cannot be edited or deleted. To correct an error, a new reversing journal entry must be created and posted.

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Part 3: Financial Statement Generators (Laravel Artisan Commands)

First, let’s assume you have an Eloquent Model ChartOfAccount for your dim_chart_of_accounts table.

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A. Trial Balance Generator

This command shows the closing balance for each account, ensuring debits equal credits. Command: php artisan report:trial-balance --endDate=2023-12-31 
// app/Console/Commands/GenerateTrialBalance.php
namespace App\Console\Commands;

use Illuminate\Console\Command;
use App\Models\ChartOfAccount;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;

class GenerateTrialBalance extends Command
{
    protected $signature = 'report:trial-balance {--endDate= : The closing date for the report (YYYY-MM-DD)}';
    protected $description = 'Generates a Trial Balance report for a specific date.';

    public function handle()
    {
        $endDate = $this->option('endDate') ?? now()->format('Y-m-d');
        $this->info("Generating Trial Balance as of: {$endDate}");

        // 1. Get balances for all posting accounts up to the end date
        $balances = DB::table('general_ledger as gl')
            ->select('gl.account_code',
                DB::raw('SUM(gl.debit) as total_debit'),
                DB::raw('SUM(gl.credit) as total_credit')
            )
            ->where('gl.entry_date', '<=', $endDate)
            ->groupBy('gl.account_code')
            ->get()
            ->keyBy('account_code');

        // 2. Get all posting accounts from CoA
        $accounts = ChartOfAccount::where('is_posting_account', true)->get();

        $reportData = [];
        $totalDebit = 0;
        $totalCredit = 0;

        foreach ($accounts as $account) {
            $balanceData = $balances->get($account->account_code);
            if (!$balanceData) continue;

            $balance = ($balanceData->total_debit ?? 0) - ($balanceData->total_credit ?? 0);

            $debit = 0;
            $credit = 0;

            if ($account->normal_balance === 'Debit') {
                $debit = $balance >= 0 ? $balance : 0;
                $credit = $balance < 0 ? abs($balance) : 0;
            } else { // Normal Balance is Credit
                $credit = $balance <= 0 ? abs($balance) : 0;
                $debit = $balance > 0 ? $balance : 0;
            }

            if ($debit == 0 && $credit == 0) continue;

            $reportData[] = [
                'code' => $account->account_code,
                'name' => $account->account_name,
                'debit' => number_format($debit, 2),
                'credit' => number_format($credit, 2),
            ];

            $totalDebit += $debit;
            $totalCredit += $credit;
        }

        $this->table(
            ['Account Code', 'Account Name', 'Debit', 'Credit'],
            $reportData
        );

        $this->info(str_repeat('-', 60));
        $this->table(
            [],
            [['', 'TOTAL', number_format($totalDebit, 2), number_format($totalCredit, 2)]]
        );

        if (round($totalDebit) != round($totalCredit)) {
            $this->error('WARNING: Totals do not balance!');
        } else {
            $this->info('Totals balance successfully.');
        }

        return 0;
    }
}

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B. Profit & Loss (Income Statement) Generator

This command uses the report mappers in the CoA to build the statement. Command: php artisan report:profit-loss --startDate=2023-01-01 --endDate=2023-12-31 
// app/Console/Commands/GenerateProfitAndLoss.php
namespace App\Console\Commands;

use Illuminate\Console\Command;
use App\Models\ChartOfAccount;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;

class GenerateProfitAndLoss extends Command
{
    protected $signature = 'report:profit-loss {--startDate=} {--endDate=}';
    protected $description = 'Generates a Profit and Loss statement for a specific period.';

    public function handle()
    {
        $startDate = $this->option('startDate') ?? now()->startOfYear()->format('Y-m-d');
        $endDate = $this->option('endDate') ?? now()->format('Y-m-d');
        $this->info("Generating Profit & Loss Statement from {$startDate} to {$endDate}");

        // 1. Get P&L accounts from CoA
        $plAccounts = ChartOfAccount::where('fs_map_statement', 'PL')->orderBy('account_code')->get();
        $accountCodes = $plAccounts->pluck('account_code');

        // 2. Get balances for these accounts within the period
        $balances = DB::table('general_ledger')
            ->select('account_code', DB::raw('SUM(debit) - SUM(credit) as balance'))
            ->whereIn('account_code', $accountCodes)
            ->whereBetween('entry_date', [$startDate, $endDate])
            ->groupBy('account_code')
            ->get()
            ->keyBy('account_code');

        // 3. Structure the report
        $report = [];
        foreach ($plAccounts as $account) {
            $balance = $balances->get($account->account_code)->balance ?? 0;
            if ($account->rollup_operator === 'SUBTRACT') {
                $balance = -$balance;
            }
            $section = $account->fs_map_section;
            $line = $account->fs_map_line;
            if (!isset($report[$section])) {
                $report[$section] = ['lines' => [], 'total' => 0];
            }
            if (!isset($report[$section]['lines'][$line])) {
                $report[$section]['lines'][$line] = 0;
            }
            $report[$section]['lines'][$line] += $balance;
            $report[$section]['total'] += $balance;
        }

        // 4. Display the report
        $netIncome = 0;
        foreach($report as $sectionName => $sectionData) {
            $this->line("\n## " . strtoupper($sectionName) . " ##");
            foreach($sectionData['lines'] as $lineName => $lineTotal) {
                $this->line(sprintf('%-40s %15s', $lineName, number_format($lineTotal, 2)));
            }
            $this->info(sprintf('%-40s %15s', 'Total ' . $sectionName, number_format($sectionData['total'], 2)));
            $netIncome += $sectionData['total'];
        }

        $this->line(str_repeat('=', 57));
        $this->info(sprintf('%-40s %15s', 'NET INCOME', number_format($netIncome, 2)));
        $this->line(str_repeat('=', 57));

        return 0;
    }
}

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C. Balance Sheet Generator

This is the most complex, as it needs the Net Income from the P&L calculation. Command: php artisan report:balance-sheet --endDate=2023-12-31 
// app/Console/Commands/GenerateBalanceSheet.php
namespace App\Console\Commands;

// ... (Use statements similar to P&L command)

class GenerateBalanceSheet extends Command
{
    protected $signature = 'report:balance-sheet {--endDate=}';
    protected $description = 'Generates a Balance Sheet statement for a specific date.';

    public function handle()
    {
        $endDate = $this->option('endDate') ?? now()->format('Y-m-d');
        // Assuming fiscal year starts on Jan 1st for Net Income calculation
        $fiscalYearStart = date('Y-01-01', strtotime($endDate));
        $this->info("Generating Balance Sheet as of: {$endDate}");

        // Step A: Calculate Net Income for the period
        $netIncome = $this->calculateNetIncome($fiscalYearStart, $endDate);

        // Step B: Get BS accounts and their cumulative balances
        $bsAccounts = ChartOfAccount::where('fs_map_statement', 'BS')->orderBy('account_code')->get();
        $accountCodes = $bsAccounts->pluck('account_code');

        $balances = DB::table('general_ledger')
            ->select('account_code', DB::raw('SUM(debit) - SUM(credit) as balance'))
            ->whereIn('account_code', $accountCodes)
            ->where('entry_date', '<=', $endDate)
            ->groupBy('account_code')
            ->get()
            ->keyBy('account_code');

        // Step C: Structure the report
        $report = [];
        foreach ($bsAccounts as $account) {
            $balance = $balances->get($account->account_code)->balance ?? 0;
            if ($account->rollup_operator === 'SUBTRACT') {
                $balance = -$balance;
            }
            $section = $account->fs_map_section;
            $line = $account->fs_map_line;

            // Logic to group assets, liabilities, and equity separately
            $type = $account->account_type; // Asset, Liability, or Equity

            if (!isset($report[$type])) $report[$type] = [];
            if (!isset($report[$type][$section])) $report[$type][$section] = ['lines' => [], 'total' => 0];
            if (!isset($report[$type][$section]['lines'][$line])) $report[$type][$section]['lines'][$line] = 0;

            $report[$type][$section]['lines'][$line] += $balance;
            $report[$type][$section]['total'] += $balance;
        }

        // Step D: Display the report
        $totalAssets = 0;
        $totalLiabilitiesAndEquity = 0;

        // Display Assets
        $this->line("\n========== ASSETS ==========");
        foreach($report['Asset'] as $sectionName => $sectionData) {
            $this->line("\n## " . strtoupper($sectionName) . " ##");
            foreach($sectionData['lines'] as $lineName => $lineTotal) {
                 $this->line(sprintf('%-40s %15s', $lineName, number_format($lineTotal, 2)));
            }
            $totalAssets += $sectionData['total'];
        }
        $this->line(str_repeat('=', 57));
        $this->info(sprintf('%-40s %15s', 'TOTAL ASSETS', number_format($totalAssets, 2)));
        $this->line(str_repeat('=', 57));

        // Display Liabilities & Equity
        $this->line("\n========== LIABILITIES AND EQUITY ==========");
        foreach(['Liability', 'Equity'] as $type) {
            if (!isset($report[$type])) continue;
            foreach($report[$type] as $sectionName => $sectionData) {
                $this->line("\n## " . strtoupper($sectionName) . " ##");
                foreach($sectionData['lines'] as $lineName => $lineTotal) {
                    $this->line(sprintf('%-40s %15s', $lineName, number_format($lineTotal, 2)));
                }
                if ($sectionName === 'Equity') {
                     $this->line(sprintf('%-40s %15s', 'Current Year Net Income', number_format($netIncome, 2)));
                     $sectionData['total'] += $netIncome;
                }
                $totalLiabilitiesAndEquity += $sectionData['total'];
            }
        }
        $this->line(str_repeat('=', 57));
        $this->info(sprintf('%-40s %15s', 'TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY', number_format($totalLiabilitiesAndEquity, 2)));
        $this->line(str_repeat('=', 57));

        if (round($totalAssets) != round($totalLiabilitiesAndEquity)) {
            $this->error('WARNING: Balance Sheet does not balance!');
        } else {
            $this->info('Balance Sheet balances successfully.');
        }

        return 0;
    }

    private function calculateNetIncome(string $startDate, string $endDate): float
    {
        // This is a simplified version of the P&L logic
        $plAccounts = ChartOfAccount::where('fs_map_statement', 'PL')->get();
        $balances = DB::table('general_ledger')
            ->select('account_code', DB::raw('SUM(debit) - SUM(credit) as balance'))
            ->whereIn('account_code', $plAccounts->pluck('account_code'))
            ->whereBetween('entry_date', [$startDate, $endDate])
            ->groupBy('account_code')
            ->get()
            ->keyBy('account_code');

        $netIncome = 0;
        foreach($plAccounts as $account) {
            $balance = $balances->get($account->account_code)->balance ?? 0;
            if ($account->rollup_operator === 'SUBTRACT') {
                $balance = -$balance;
            }
            $netIncome += $balance;
        }
        return $netIncome;
    }
}