The quick answer
Customize Income Statement Detail and use Edit Columns to add Financial > Entity (Line) > Name. Give it a distinct label and preview the same posted journal line. This reads the entity selected in that journal line’s Name field, which can differ from the report's standard transaction Name.
Screenshots show a synthetic walkthrough with example data. Person and operating-company names are fictional.
Before you start
Use a posted journal with a vendor in the expense line's native Name field, and a role that can view the journal and customize financial reports. Set the correct period, account, subsidiary context where applicable, and accounting book if Multi-Book Accounting is enabled. Match the report basis and currency context to the journal. This example uses JE-80021, October 2026, Bayview US, account 6100 Equipment Repairs, and amount 325.00. The comparison retains a second journal line without an entity at 45.00. A memo or custom vendor field does not substitute for the native line entity. The journal must be posted and visible to your role; a saved journal awaiting approval may not appear.
01. Confirm the vendor on the posted journal line
Open JE-80021 and inspect the expense line. 6100 Equipment Repairs has a debit of 325.00, and its Name is Harbor Repair Services. Note the document, date, account, and amount. Leave the journal unchanged.
02. Retain a report baseline
Open Reports > Financial > Income Statement > Detail, or open the detail version from Income Statement. Set Oct 2026 and Bayview US in this example. Locate the target expense line. The standard Name column is blank even though the native journal line has a vendor. JE-80022, at 45.00, provides a comparison line with no entity. Run or refresh the report. Keep filters, detail settings, and accounting context unchanged for the comparison.
03. Add the line-entity Name column
Click Customize and select Edit Columns. If you need filters to locate the document, establish them first and keep them fixed. Expand Financial > Entity (Line) in the field tree and add Name. Label the column Entity (Line) and use Move Left or Move Right to place it beside the standard Name column. The replay field is labelled Name. If your account exposes a similarly labelled field such as Name (Grouped), inspect its line-level context and grouping behavior rather than assuming the joins are interchangeable.
04. Preview the same journal line
Click Preview. JE-80021 now shows Harbor Repair Services in Entity (Line) with the same 325.00 amount. JE-80022 remains blank in that column at 45.00. In this example, the expense total remains 370.00. This confirms the demonstrated line-level field; it does not establish that similarly labelled Name joins behave identically for every transaction type.
05. Save only if you need the custom report
The walkthrough stops at diagnostic Preview. To retain the columns and filters, return to customization and Save under a descriptive name, then review the report audience and availability. Previewing or saving the report does not change the journal or assign a missing vendor. If the added value is blank, inspect the native line entity, posting and report scope, and selected field. A missing journal calls for checking posting, period, account, subsidiary or book context, and role access. Unexpected grouping calls for reviewing detail and grouped settings.
Common questions
Why is the standard Name blank for a journal with a vendor?
The vendor can be assigned to the journal line while the standard report column uses a different transaction context. Add the line-level entity field and compare the same document and expense line.
Why is the added line-entity column still blank?
Check the entity selected in that specific journal line’s Name field and the selected report field. A line without an entity stays blank, as JE-80022 does in this example. A missing journal also calls for checking posting, report scope, and access.
Does customizing the report change the journal?
Adding a report column changes the presentation. It does not edit the journal, assign a vendor, or change posted balances. Preview tests the configuration; Save retains a custom report.
Is this a vendor column for every transaction type?
The column reads the entity on the accounting line. Other rows can show another entity type or remain blank. Header and line fields differ by transaction, so compare more than one journal before treating similarly named fields as equivalent.