Overview
This step-by-step guide walks you through your first experience with Smart Adjustments, from viewing a snapshot journal entry to booking your first adjustment. Follow along to build confidence with the new interface and workflows.
What You’ll Learn
How to access Smart Adjustments features
Where to find key pages and navigation elements
Your first walkthrough of viewing, booking, and managing adjustments
Quick wins you can achieve immediately
Prerequisites
Active Blue Onion account with Journal Entries enabled
At least one journal entry template configured
For ERP Subledger features: NetSuite or QuickBooks integration completed
Before You Begin: Understand Your User Type
Check: Are You a Core App or ERP Subledger User?
Core App User if you:
Export journal entries for manual GL entry
Do not have NetSuite or QuickBooks directly integrated
Manually track booking status outside Blue Onion
ERP Subledger User if you:
Have NetSuite integrated and automatic GL push enabled
Will soon have QuickBooks Online integrated
See GL transaction IDs in your Booking Management view
💡 Tip: If you’re unsure, check with your Customer Success Manager.
Step 1: Access the New Features
Navigate to Journal Entries
Log into your Blue Onion account
Click Journal Entries in the main navigation menu
You’ll now see new sub-menu options:
Booked Journal Entries (new)
Templates (existing)
Explore the Layout
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with where everything is:
Booked Journal Entries: View all entries you’ve finalized and, after booking journal entries, see adjustments generated by data drift
Templates: Your existing journal entry template configurations
Step 2: View Your First Snapshot Journal Entry
Let’s start with something familiar—viewing journal entries—but with the new time-travel capability.
Access a Journal Entry
Go to Journal Entries → Explorer
Select and existing Template on the Template View or choose any Journal Entry of your choosing on the Interactive View
Select a date range that includes recent activity
Use the As-of Date Selector
You’ll now see a new control at the top of the journal entry detail view:
Look for the As of Date dropdown selector
Click the dropdown to see all available data snapshots
Notice the timestamps showing when each snapshot was captured
Navigate Through Time
Try this exercise:
Select the earliest as-of date available in the dropdown
Note the journal entry line items and amounts
Click the dropdown again and select a later date
Watch the amounts change as you select different snapshots
Observe which line items appear, disappear, or change amounts
What you’re seeing: How upstream data from your commerce platforms evolved over time. This is the data drift that Smart Adjustments is designed to handle.
Drill into Transaction Details
Click on any line item amount in the journal entry
You’ll see the Journal Entry Details view showing all transactions that comprise that line
Click on any individual transaction
You’ll now be on a Transaction Profile Page showing complete details
Explore the transaction profile page:
General information (date, channel, location, currency)
Financial details section (product total, shipping, tax, discounts)
Order line items or payment components
Accounts receivable or clearing accounts
Associated payments (for orders) or orders (for payments)
View Journal Entry History
Scroll to the bottom of any transaction profile page
Find the Journal Entries section
You’ll see all journal entries related to this transaction
Notice the timeline showing when entries were booked
What you’re seeing: The complete accounting trail for a single transaction, including original booking and any subsequent adjustments.
Step 3: Explore Booking Management
Now let’s visit the central dashboard that ties everything together.
Access Booking Management
Navigate to Journal Entries → Booked Journal Entries
Select a date range
Understand the Status Grid
You’ll see a calendar-style grid with colored indicators for each day:
Color legend:
Green: Everything booked successfully
Yellow: Not yet booked
Orange Dot: Has adjustments available
Red: Booking error occurred
Gray: No activity
Use Select All Ready Button
Notice the Select All Ready checkbox near the top
This shows all items needing your attention
Uncheck it to see your complete booking history
Check it again to return to action-focused view
Click-to-Zoom Navigation
Click on any colored cell in the status grid
The journal entries list below filters to show only that day’s transactions
Click another day to see its transactions
Click the same day again (or a “Clear Filters” button) to reset the view
Practice this: Click through several days to get a feel for how quickly you can drill into specific dates.
Review Transaction Details
In the filtered journal entries list, you’ll see columns for:
Type: Order, Revenue Recognition, Cash Receipt, etc.
Template: Which journal entry template generated this
Date Range: The transaction period covered by the entry
JE ID: Blue Onion journal entry identifier
Currency: Transaction currency
Booked Date: When it was booked (if applicable)
Unbooked Date: If adjustments are pending
Status: Not Booked, Booked, X Adjustments, Error
Actions: Icons for viewing, booking/unbooking, downloading
Step 4: Book Your First Entry (Core App Users)
If you’re a Core App user, you’ll manually mark entries as booked after exporting and entering them into your GL.
Select an Entry to Book
In Booking Management, find an entry with “Not Booked” status (yellow indicator)
Review the entry details by clicking the preview icon
Export the entry if you haven’t already
Mark as Booked
Click the Book button next to the entry
Booked Date is populated
The status changes to “Booked”
What happened: You’ve marked this snapshot as your baseline. If data changes in the future, Smart Adjustments will compare against this booked version.
Step 5: Book Your First Entry (ERP Subledger Users)
If you’re an ERP Subledger user with NetSuite or QuickBooks integrated, once Smart Adjustments is enabled, booking automatically pushes to your GL. Lets look at how we can do this manually in application:
Preview Before Booking
In Booking Management, find an entry with “Not Booked” status
Click the Preview icon (eye icon)
Review the journal entry details to ensure they’re correct
Book to Your GL
Check the checkbox next to the entry (or multiple entries for batch booking)
Click Push Selected button at the top
Watch the status change to “Booked” with a GL Transaction ID appearing and a Booked Date populate
What happened: Blue Onion sent this journal entry to your ERP, where it was posted to your general ledger. The GL Transaction ID provides a direct link to that posting.
Verify in Your ERP
Copy the GL Transaction ID
Open your NetSuite or QuickBooks instance
Search for that transaction ID
Confirm the journal entry posted correctly
Step 6: Experience Your First Adjustment
Now for the most powerful part: seeing Smart Adjustments detect and handle data drift.
❗ Important: Adjustments will only be available on Booked Journal Entries. If you have not marked entries as booked or ERP Subledger customers with pushes before Smart Adjustments was enabled will not calculate adjustments.
Wait for Data Drift (or Simulate)
In a real-world scenario, you’d book entries and then wait for your commerce platforms to update data. For this walkthrough, we’ll look at historical examples where drift has already occurred.
Find an Adjustment
In Booking Management, look for an orange indicator on the status grid
Click that day to filter the journal entries list
Find an entry with status showing “X Adjustments” (e.g., “2 Adjustments”)
[SCREENSHOT: Booking Management entry showing “2 Adjustments” in orange badge]
Examine the Adjustment
Click the expand arrow next to the parent entry
You’ll see a hierarchical view showing:
Original booked entry (parent)
Previously booked adjustments (if any)
New adjustment available to book (if any)
Compare Original vs. Adjusted
Click into the adjustment entry details
Look for fields showing:
Original Value: What was booked
New Value: Current data state
Delta: The adjustment amount
[SCREENSHOT: Adjustment entry showing original, new, and delta columns]
What you’re seeing: The exact changes that occurred after booking, broken down line by line.
Drill Through to Understand Why
Click on any line item in the adjustment
View the Journal Entry Detail page listing all transactions contributing to the delta
Click an individual transaction to navigate to the transaction profile page
Scroll to the Journal Entry History section
You’ll see in the time series:
What was in the original entry on its original as-of date
What changed as a separate entry with an updated as-of date
Book the Adjustment
For Core App users:
Review and export the adjustment entry
Enter it into your GL manually
Return to Blue Onion and mark it as booked
For ERP Subledger users:
Review the adjustment entry
Check the checkbox next to it
Click Push Selected
The adjustment automatically pushes to your GL
Step 7: Set Up Cadence Controls (ERP Subledger Only)
If you’re an ERP Subledger user, you can automate the adjustment booking process.
Access Cadence Settings
Navigate to Journal Entries → Templates
Select a template you want to automate
Look for Adjustment Cadence settings
Choose Your Cadence
Select the frequency that matches your close process:
Daily:
Scans every day for changes
Auto-books adjustments immediately
Best for: High-volume businesses, real-time accuracy requirements
Weekly:
Scans once per week (on selected day of the week)
Processes all pending adjustments in batch
Best for: Most businesses, balanced accuracy and efficiency
Monthly:
Scans on selected day of the month
Aligns with close schedule
Best for: Lower-volume businesses, traditional month-end close
Save and Verify
Set your preferred cadence
Save the template settings
Blue Onion will now automatically scan and book adjustments on your schedule
⚠️ Important: Test your cadence in the middle of a period to get used to how it will sync ahead of close.
Step 8: Use Global Search
The global search feature allows you to quickly find any transaction across all types.
Access Global Search
Look for the Search Menu in the side navigation (top left)
Search for a Transaction
Select a transaction type from the dropdown (Order, Payment, Refund, Gift Card, Bank Transaction)
Enter a transaction identifier (order number, payment ID, etc.)
Click Search
View the Result
The transaction profile page opens immediately, showing:
- Complete transaction details
- Financial breakdown
- Journal entry history with any adjustments
Use case: When a platform updates an order and you need to see what journal entries were affected, global search gets you there in seconds.
Quick Wins: What You Can Do Right Now
Now that you’ve completed the walkthrough, here are immediate actions you can take:
1. Audit a Suspicious Journal Entry
If you’ve had discrepancies between your GL and platform reports:
Use global search to find the transaction
Review its journal entry history
Check if adjustment entries explain the variance
Book any pending adjustments
2. Understand a Month’s Adjustment Activity
To see why your October numbers differ from what you initially booked:
Open Booking Management
Filter to October
Click on days with orange indicators
Review the adjustment entries to see what changed
3. Set Your First Automated Cadence (ERP Subledger)
Pick your most stable journal entry template:
Set a weekly Friday cadence
Monitor it for a few weeks
Expand to other templates once comfortable
4. Clean Up Pending Bookings
Use Booking Management with action-required filter:
Book all yellow (pending) entries from closed periods
Review and book orange (adjustment) entries
Investigate any red (error) entries
5. Train Your Team
Share this guide with your team and:
Walk through the interface together
Assign different people to monitor different templates
Establish a weekly review process for adjustments
Tips & Best Practices
Start Small
Don’t start with all features at once
Master viewing snapshots before worrying about adjustments
Test cadences on one template before expanding
Use Select All Ready Button Liberally
Keep it checked for daily management
Only uncheck when researching historical issues
Bookmark Key Pages
Booking Management for daily monitoring
Your most critical template’s journal entry view
Set Calendar Reminders
Weekly review of adjustment activity
Monthly cadence settings review
Quarterly training refresher for team
Communicate with Platforms
If seeing excessive data drift from one platform, investigate why
Contact platform support if data is changing unexpectedly
Document patterns to inform your booking cadence or potentially adding lag days in your template booking to wait until data has settled
Need More Help?
Schedule a live training session with your Customer Success Manager, or contact via the chat in your Blue Onion application for one-on-one walkthrough assistance.