This is essentially a "cash" transaction (ie. debit card).

All that is really required is a Debit to your account, and a Credit to the Sears account.

What the "plumbing" does in between is really immaterial and may be more a function of "recoverablity", timing issues, "design" (good or bad), ...

("Payables", and Receivables, are generally a function of obligations "due at some future date").

>I am oversimplyfying this to get a specific answer.
>
>I have a bank account at my local bank.
>
>I make a purchase from Sears using by debit card.
>
>I am pretty sure this is what occurs conceptually:
>1. An entry is made to my account to deduct the Sears purchase.
>2. An entry is made to the Bank's payables account, payable to Sears, that increases the Bank's payables.
>3. An entry is made to the Bank's payables account, to pay Sears, that reduces the Bank's payables.
>
>My question: In a database designed for these transactions, would you actually create transaction #2 and perhaps #3? I am looking for what is the "correct" thing to do.
>
>Let me ensure I am making myself clear. I have a table named Accounts. My bank account is a record in this table. I have a table named Account_Txns which is related to Accounts.
>
>Transaction #1 is the creation of a record in my Account_Txns. There is a field in Account_Txns named cInvoices_Id and a field named cChecks_Id. These fields are related to the primary key in Invoices and Checks respectively.
>
>I could "know/view" which Account_Txns are in the Bank's payables by Select from Account_Txns where the Account_Txns.cInvoices_Id is empty. I could further know the status of the Bank's payables by Select from Account_Txns where Account_Txns.cChecks_Id is empty.
>
>Would it not be redundant data to create separate records in separate tables for all 3 transactions? I'm not asking a CPA. I'm asking programmers and database engineers.
>
>Thanks,
>John