While both the qualitative characteristics from IFRS and the checks and balances from the internal controls are pose restrictions on the accounting process, sometimes these restrictions require support from the underlying accounting software.
One example is the support for creating reliable audit trails by protecting accounting data from deletion. It’s important to realize the scope of accounting data in this respect: because invoices are being registered in the accounts receivable administration - which is summarized in the general ledger - they are part of the data for which the audit trail needs to be recorded.
Another example is separation of duties (also known as the “four eye principle”), where one accountant enters financial transactions and another is responsible for posting them. This procedure protects the company from an accountant single-handedly faking transactions and possibly masking fraud.
The requirements for good accounting processes and internal control have impact on the work flows supported by LedgerSMB. As a consequence some of the work flows described in part V may seem unwieldy; an example being the lack of functionality to delete or correct incorrect invoices (See Section 37.5 on page 37.5 for more details).