In today’s finance landscape, Cadency users sit at the center of digital transformation. But success in the platform isn’t just about implementing automation—it’s about knowing how to configure, optimize, and govern it for maximum impact. 

Within Trintech’s Cadency Certification, every configuration choice—from subledger loads to Dynamic Account Maintenance—affects the accuracy, control, and speed of your reconciliations. The following best practices are drawn directly from real Cadency implementations and user experiences, designed to help you unlock more value from your Certification module and accelerate every close cycle. 

1. Automate Subledger Loads to Accelerate Accuracy 

“Take the work out of the process.” 

The first pillar of optimization is automation. By integrating Cadency with your ERP to pull subledger data from critical areas across your org such as Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Fixed Assets, Payroll, and Inventory, you can automate the flow of data into Certification, ensuring timeliness and consistency across all accounts. 

Best Practice: 
Automate subledger loads and ETL processes through Trintech’s Certified Connectors and Cadency DataFlow, to retrieve and reformat files into the required standard load format. These tools eliminate data entry errors and provide real-time updates of transactional activity. 

Expand your subledger scope: 
Consider not only ERP-based subledgers but also internal systems like cash pooling or lease management, and even external “subledgers” like merchant services, bank statements, or third-party payment platforms (e.g., PayPal, investment accounts, or delivery services). Cadency can bring in data from any source, allowing businesses to take control of their data and transaction reconciliations regardless of source or process. 

The impact: 
Organizations that automate subledger loads transition from quarterly to monthly reconciliations, eliminating manual rework and surfacing issues earlier in the cycle — reducing both effort and risk. 

2. Optimize Auto and Bulk Reconciliations for Scale 

Build intelligence into the reconciliation logic. 

The Auto Reconciliation and Bulk Reconciliation functions in Cadency are essential for scalability. These features, when configured properly, can eliminate more than 70% of manual reconciliation work, freeing teams to focus on exceptions and higher-value analysis. 

Key configuration strategies: 

• GL Balance/ZBA (Zero Balance Accounts): 
  Use thresholds to automatically clear immaterial balances (e.g., $50 USD across multiple currencies). 

• SLL (Subledger to Ledger): 
  Apply thresholds (e.g., $10 USD) to account for currency fluctuations without triggering false exceptions. 

• No Balance Change: 
  Identify accounts with no movement between periods and auto-certify them to reduce unnecessary workload. 

• Dynamic Account Maintenance (DAM): 
  Implement DAM to target specific account types or business units based on risk profiles or materiality. 

HP, for example, verified 81% of balance sheet dollars as correct by shifting controls earlier in the process, eliminating 71% of manual effort while maintaining accuracy.

Tip:
Set “Unexplained Difference” thresholds (e.g., $100 USD per currency) to filter out immaterial discrepancies, ensuring reconciliers spend time where it truly matters.

3. Strengthen Balance Controls to Enhance Governance 

Empower proactive exception management. 

Strong balance controls form the foundation of compliance and financial integrity. Cadency Certification offers multiple features to strengthen control frameworks without increasing administrative burden. 

Recommended configurations: 

• Inactive Accounts with Balances: 
  Use automated alerts and audit reports to surface dormant or misclassified accounts. 

• Dormant Account Attributes: 
  Exclude out-of-scope accounts automatically to maintain focus on active balances. 

• “Keep Current” Setting: 
  When an inactive account becomes active again, automatically move the reconciliation into the current period instead of retroactively reprocessing past periods. 

These exception-based controls reduce noise and improve audit-readiness by ensuring only material, relevant accounts are reviewed and certified. 

4. Optimize Job Scheduling and Administrative Automation 

Every repetitive task is a candidate for automation. 

Job scheduling and administrative configuration often go unnoticed, yet they are vital for sustained optimization. Job Scheduling in Cadency enables users to organize, sequence, and automate jobs to improve efficiency and system performance. 

Implementation guidance: 

• Schedule GL loads, auto-grouping, subledger imports, and automation jobs during off-peak hours. 

• Group related tasks (e.g., master data updates, subledger loads, and reconciliations) into logical packages. 

• Enable notifications for job success or failure to ensure visibility. 

When administrative errors occur, analyze their root causes and create Dynamic Account Maintenance (DAM) or job automation routines to prevent recurrence. The goal: zero manual interventions for repeatable processes. 

Watch: 3 Tips for Implementing Dynamic Account Maintenance from Forvis Mazars >> 

5. Elevate Onboarding and Continuous Training 

Process excellence starts with user empowerment. 

Even the most advanced configurations are only as effective as the people who use them. Continuous learning and structured onboarding programs are essential to sustaining optimization gains. Emphasize internal and Trintech-based learning opportunities to enhance your experience in Cadency. 

Recommended resources: 

• Cadency Online Help & Training Guides for version-specific tutorials 

• Trintech Success Center for advanced reference and troubleshooting 

• Cadency CoPilot for embedded guidance and step-by-step learning paths 

• Monthly Internal Cadency “Happy Hours” for peer discussions, user-led feature demos, and real-world problem solving 

HP’s onboarding model, which includes certification-based assessments and ongoing refresher training, ensures user competency remains aligned with evolving system capabilities. 

6. Implement Quality Assurance and Reporting Controls 

Data quality is the new audit currency. 

Reconciliation quality should be measured, not assumed. Cadency Certification supports built-in audit and quality processes that help identify gaps, training needs, and systemic risks. 

Quality management practices: 

• Randomly assess reconciliations for accuracy as part of internal QA and SOX compliance testing. 

• Utilize native Cadency reports to stay up to date on reconciliation status 

• Use BI (Business Intelligence) dashboards integrated with Cadency data to monitor: 

• Rejected or decertified reconciliations 

• Late certifications and open items 

• Exception trends over time 

Teams should certify open reconciling items quarterly, ensuring full accountability across the organization. These reports not only enhance transparency but also streamline external audit reviews. 

7. Simplify Through Grouping and Materiality-Based Scheduling 

Reduce volume, focus on impact. 

Grouping related accounts under unified reconciliation templates is a simple but powerful efficiency gain. Whether it’s intercompany AR/AP, prepaid expenses, or supply chain accounts, grouping eliminates redundancy and supports a risk-based approach. 

Examples of grouping indicators: 

• GRPACCT – multiple accounts in one group 

• GRPENUS – accounts across legal entities 

• GRPW – clearing accounts 

• GRPPC – project- or segment-based groupings 

HP’s use of grouping reduced hundreds of individual reconciliations without compromising visibility.  

Watch: HP Automates 72% of Recs and Fills ERP Gaps with Trintech >>  

Next-level optimization: 

Adopt materiality banding. Reconciling high-risk accounts monthly while shifting low-risk accounts to quarterly or semiannual frequency. This risk-based approach reallocates effort where it’s most valuable. 

8. Commit to Continuous Improvement 

Optimization is not a one-time project. It’s a discipline. 

The most mature finance organizations treat their reconciliation process as a living ecosystem. They continually measure, test, and refine it. 

Continuous improvement actions: 

• Review automation coverage quarterly to identify new automation opportunities. 

• Participate in enhancement idea voting through Trintech’s community. 

• Upgrade to new Cadency versions as they are released to leverage feature enhancements. 

• Use structured testing cycles (1-week SIT and 1-week UAT) before go-live to validate performance and avoid regression. 

This proactive mindset turns process maintenance into process innovation. 

The Takeaway 

An optimized accounting reconciliation process combines automation, governance, and insight. Within Cadency Certification, these principles translate into tangible outcomes: fewer manual touchpoints, faster closes, stronger compliance, and higher confidence in reported results. 

By implementing the practices outlined here, from subledger automation and dynamic reconciliation rules to materiality-based scheduling and continuous improvement — finance leaders can “take the work out of the process” and focus on what truly matters: strategic decision-making built on trustworthy data. 

Written by: Harrison Haessler-Aquino