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Please note that information on these EFS Updates may have changed since the Updates were issued.
Payroll Encumbrances
Payroll encumbrances for payroll and HSAs transactions through December 29 have posted to Commitment Control. Those encumbrance totals for payroll and HSAs will be available with the refresh of the reporting instance on December 31. If you have questions, please contact finsys@umn.edu.
Editor Change for EFS Update
Effective Monday, January 5, 2009, Carrie Meyer (c-meye1@umn.edu) will take over as editor of the EFS Update.
Best wishes to all in the New Year. I've learned much and enjoyed working with you.
-- Alice Pepin
Period 3 Close
Period 3 has closed in the General Ledger.
Supplemental Receiving Information
A Supplemental Receiving Information document has been developed by Training Services to address some of the most common issues related to receipts. The information in this document will assist both receivers and voucher preparers.
eStatement Access
To look up a credit from U Stores, access the eStatement at www.estatement.umn.edu. When you insert the PO number, the eStatement will show all activity.
New PCard Processing Calendar Available
The new PCard processing calendar has been released. To access it, click here.
Financial Helpline Closing Early December 24
The Financial Helpline will close early on December 24. The Helpline will close at noon on December 24, 2008, and will reopen on Monday, December 29, at 8 a.m. You can contact the Helpline at 612-624-1617 or finsys@umn.edu.
EFS Maintenance Windows
EFS Releases Budget Status and Transaction Detail Reports
Two Budget Status reports and a Transaction Detail report are now available to users within PeopleSoft and via UM Reports on the Web. (The UM Reports versions of the two Budget Status reports were rolled out 11/18/08. The Transaction Detail report is new in both PeopleSoft and UM Reports.) The reports are designed to better address the reporting gaps and usability issues reported by users.
The Budget Status reports are General Ledger summary reports. Each report can be run by specifying a single ChartField*, any combination of ChartFields, or all ChartFields (consisting of Fund, DeptID, Program, CSProject, FinEmplID, CF1, CF2), and will list results for all ChartField strings matching those selected. The reports can also be run for a specified RRC and the ChartField combinations within it. *(The report cannot be run by a single FUND value; at least one other value must be specified with FUND to run the reports.)
Carryforward information in the reports pulls information through CUFS Period 13. If you have questions about your carryforward amount, please contact your RRC (for carryforward mapping questions) or the University Financial Helpline (for other questions) at 612-624-1617 or finsys@umn.edu.
The Budget Status reports are:
Account Budget Status - Current Non-sponsored Funds Report
This report is a Budget Status report by specified ChartFields for current non-sponsored funds only. The report displays a fiscal-year-to-date summary through the specified accounting period by financial account in each of the following sections: current resources, budget, expenditures, net transfers, and unobligated budget balance. The report may be useful to distribute summarized account information to other staff and to monitor year-to-date actual versus budgeted financial activity. To run this report, valid ChartField information is required as selection criteria for the data displayed on the report.
When viewing balances in this report, please note that payroll expense entries are current; however, payroll encumbrance entries are posted through November 30.
ChartField String Budget Status - Current Non-Sponsored Funds Report
This report displays a fiscal-year-to-date summary through the specified accounting period by selected ChartField values for current non-sponsored funds only. For each row of activity displayed on the report, selected ChartField values will display along with the following summarized data: prior year carryforward, revenue, expenditures, transfers-in, and transfers-out. The report will also display the ending balance for each identified group and for the total. The use of this report will be specific to each unit and the ChartFields selected. To run this report, valid ChartField information is required as selection criteria for the data displayed on the report.
When viewing balances in this report, please note that payroll expense entries are current; however, payroll encumbrance entries are posted through November 30.
The detail report is:
Transaction Detail by ChartField - Current Non-sponsored Funds Report
This report provides detail transactional information of non-sponsored activity from source modules in PeopleSoft (accounts payable, purchasing, accounts receivable, billing, treasury, assets, etc.). The report can be run by specifying a single DeptID, or any combination of ChartFields (consisting of Fund, Program, CSProject, FinEmplID, CF1, CF2) along with a specific DeptID.
Access and Navigation
UM Reports:
Transaction Detail for Current Non-Sponsored Funds is now available on the UM Reports Web site. It can be accessed by using the following navigation: www.umreports.umn.edu>Enterprise Financials>Non-Sponsored. The report can be displayed using ChartField selection parameters for a single department. Detail transactions can also be viewed as a drill through option from Account Budget Status for Current Non-Sponsored Funds.
Click the Help icon next to the report title to view report documentation and help.
PeopleSoft Reporting Instance:
Budget Status reports are accessible in the PeopleSoft reporting instance using the following navigation: General Ledger>General Reports>UM Reports>UM Budget Status Reports. Both reports are run from the same run control page and can be run by various ChartField values or combinations of values; however, when specifying a FUND value, at least one other value must be specified to avoid performance issues due to the size of the report results.
Transaction Detail - Current Non-sponsored Funds report can be accessed in the EFS PeopleSoft reporting instance using the following navigation: General Ledger>General Reports>UM Reports>UM Transaction Detail by CF. The report can be run by DeptID only, or by DeptID and any combination of remaining ChartFields.
Reporting Training Materials
To access training materials for the above reports please visit the Training Services Web site.
Payroll encumbrances
Payroll encumbrances for payroll and HSAs transactions through November have posted to Commitment Control and are included in encumbrance totals on reports except for HSAs processed on 11/3 & 11/24 and payroll from 11/26. Until the automatic payroll encumbrance posting job can be turned back on, we are posting the job manually due to data integrity issues. We hope to be caught up this week and posting each pay period encumbrances through to Commitment Control by the end of the following week after payroll. If you have questions, please feel free to contact finsys@umn.edu.
From Disbursement Services:
Expense Transactions Returned by an Approver
Expense transactions that are returned by the approver do not go to the worklist of the preparer. The preparer does not receive a worklist or e-mail notification. The person who submitted the reimbursement request (e.g., the traveler) receives an e-mail notifying them that it was sent back for revision and suggesting that they contact the preparer with questions.
Where do returned transactions go?
The expense transactions go to a status of Pending and can be accessed by navigating to Employee Self-Service > Travel and Expense Center > (Transaction type) > Modify. Here the preparer can click Search and will see everything that was sent back for every employee for whom they are authorized to prepare. In other words, it does not only display items that they prepare, but potentially could show items prepared by other preparers. The positive here is that if a department has multiple preparers and one starts a transaction but then is out when it is returned, another preparer could correct it and submit it. However, it could be confusing depending on how many are out there. If a preparer does know that they have something that was returned, they can search by Emplid, report #, report description, name, or creation date. To manage this, a preparer may want to periodically navigate here to see what has been returned.
Attention: Procurement Card Users
An issue is reoccurring when procurement card users submit the budget check process multiple times and the job queue backs up because of the number of processes a single user has in the queue. A user should only have one budget check process queued at any one time. If the user needs to run the process multiple times, the user should verify that the first process completed successfully before queuing up another process. For procurement card users, the PCard budget check document explains what is causing the multiple jobs and how to look at the process monitor and confirm the completion of your process.
Check Request Form Revised
The Check Request Form (1659) has been revised with a space added for the Purchase Order #. This is an optional field and should/can be used as appropriate or needed. The revised form is located in the U-wide Forms Library.
From Purchasing Services
Avoid Duplicate Payments on VCPSs
Background: Requisitions for professional services under $3,000 are entered after the service is performed. After approvals are applied to the transaction, the system processes the VCPS and issues a check to the vendor.
Sometimes when the vendor invoice or Check Request Form is sent to the cluster to be imaged, the voucher specialist does not realize that it is a VCPS invoice just for imaging, so they enter it and it gets paid a second time.
How requisition preparers can help: To avoid paying your professional services provider twice, before sending the invoice to the cluster to be imaged, be sure to write on the Invoice or Check Request Form:
"VCPS - Do Not Enter - Submitted for Imaging Only"
Requester Burn Rate Reports
The Burn Rate report is a system-generated report that identifies any blanket orders or CPS contracts that are within 90 days of their expiration date or have 25 percent or less of the total contract dollars remaining.
These reports are provided to the requesters so that business decisions may be made in a timely manner regarding whether to renew the contract or go out for bid again. Click here for the Burn Rate reports document.
From Sponsored Financial Reporting
HRMS Combo Codes
Part of the reason we have to manually fix and post payroll encumbrances is related to cost share combo codes which were accidently set up incorrectly. In most cases, this occurred when a department was moving funds around in preparation for sending SPA information to create a cost-share budget.
A scenario is as follows: an academic department sets up cost share funding on a non sponsored program and includes a project in the chart string and combo codes are created for the chart string. This combo code is then tied to a payroll distribution and payroll begins to hit. In EFS, when the payroll encumbrances are sent to commitment control, the system is looking for the cost share budget on the project. In many cases the cost share budget doesn't exist as SPA has not been notified of the cost share budget so the transactions err. The payroll encumbrance journals have many lines of transactions on them; one error causes the entire journal to be in error.
We have a fix identified so combo codes that have a project in the chart string are only created if the budget comes from the Projects module. This fix is slated for late January.
The best way to avoid this problem is to make sure that every payroll distribution that is being used for cost-sharing uses the exact account codes and chart string set up by SPA. If a new chart string is needed, follow the procedures below.
See the document called Cost Sharing Handout for more detail.
Double-check That You Are in the Reporting Instance
Some financial users have reported that processing reports is slow. Be sure to use the reporting instance and not the production instance when doing your reports. Reports will process faster.
E-mail Changes for the Controller's Office
The Controller's Office is no longer using Groupwise as its e-mail application. When communicating with Controller's Office staff members, please use their x.500 address.
Paying Human Subjects
Just a reminder that when paying human subjects do not enter any name (first or last or any combination of name) in the description field of the document. The description should read "documentation on file." For further details, please see the FAQ - Paying Human Subjects policy document (pdf).
Three New Sponsored Reports
Sponsored Projects is pleased to announce the addition of three sponsored reports in EFS:
- UM Sponsored Aged Pre-Award Summary - The report lists a row for each proposal/award in pre-award status, summarizing inception to date expenses and encumbrances, along with age in days from state date. This report can be run by PI (EmplID), DeptID, or College. This report will be able to run from inception through a specified accounting date (e.g., 09/30/08), with that date showing in the header of the report.
- UM Sponsored Pre-Award Overview - This report is run by EFS proposal number and through a specified accounting date. The report displays current month (based on accounting date entered) as well as inception through accounting date requisition, encumbrance, and expense. The balance is subtotaled by project (1 or many) and budget account (e.g., "Travel"). The header will display sponsor, award start and end date, and pre-award age.
- UM Sponsored Pre-Award Detail - This report is run by project_id and through a specified accounting date. Project level report that displays inception to date requisition, encumbrance and expense summarized at the budget account level. Descriptive information on the header displays, Sponsor, Proposal #, Department, Project Start and End Date, and Principal Investigator name.
- UM Sponsored Pre-Award Expense Detail - Coming Soon!
From Disbursement Services:
The IRS announced changes in the standard business mileage rates for calendar year 2009.
Beginning January 1, 2009, the standard business mileage reimbursement rate, for personal vehicle use on approved University business, decreases from 58.5 cents to 55 cents per mile.
See the Rates section in Appendix D of the University of Minnesota policy, Traveling on University Business.
The standard mileage rate for moving expenses decreases, from 27 to 24 cents per mile.
Business mileage incurred in 2008 but reimbursed in 2009, should be reimbursed using the 2008 mileage rate. The Employee Expense Worksheet (UM 1612) accommodates changes to the mileage rates.
From Training Services:
New Resource: Query Catalog
Training Services has identified a number of queries available to end users that might be useful to departments. The Query Catalog is divided by module (such as Accounts Payable or Purchasing) and provides a description of how the query might be useful and key data needed to run the query.
EFS Listserv Changes
If you wish to add, change, or delete your address on the EFS listserv, please email finsys@umn.edu with the words "EFS listserv" in the subject line. Thank you!
University Financial Helpline
If you have questions about EFS, please contact the University Financial Helpline at 612-624-1617 or finsys@umn.edu.
Please Note - University Financial Helpline Hours
Effective immediately (December 1), the University Financial Helpline has returned to its normal hours of operation for telephone inquiries: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Also please note the Helpline's holiday hours: the Helpline will be closing at Noon on December 24, 2008, and will re-open on Monday, December 29 at 8 a.m.
As always, inquiries may be sent via email to finsys@umn.edu at any time and callers may leave voice messages during "off" hours.
From Accounting Services:
Period 2 Closed
Period 2 in the general ledger closed on Monday, November 24. Amounts recorded in the ledger for this period have been finalized and reports can be generated.
Journal Inquiry Detail Update
Financial inquiry users will now be able to "Drill to Source" when reviewing journal entries sourced from the Accounts Receivable module on the Journal Inquiry Details page. The AR source information includes accounting entries, customer number, and item ID (invoice number). Specific details, however, are still restricted to users with AR Inquiry access.
From Training Services:
Financial Inquiry Manual Created
A Financial Inquiries Manual has been created to help answer common questions about where to find information in the system. This manual is organized similarly to the CUFS Quick 'n Easy except it's meant to be used as an online resource. You can click on the topic area or a specific question and you will jump to the screen(s) that provides an answer. We are working to add more inquiry screens to this book so check it periodically to see what new sections and screens have been added. If you have feedback or suggestions for making this a more useful tool, please send them to trngsvcs@umn.edu.
Reporting Lab Set for December 2
Training Services is offering a reporting lab session on Tuesday, December 2, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in room 531 of the West Bank Office Building. If you are interested in attending, please contact Training Services at 612-626-1373 or trngsvcs@umn.edu to schedule an appointment.
Requisition Attachments for Bids should be in Word or Excel Format
When requisitions have attachments for bid, please send the attachments to Purchasing as MS Word or Excel documents. Many times central Purchasing needs to edit the attachments for the bid or award and that is difficult if the document is in PDF format.
CPS PSIS Form and the Data Collection Sheet Merge
We have worked with SPA to merge the CPS PSIS form and the Data Collection Sheet. All of the necessary information on the Data Collection Sheet is now available on the PSIS, including an area for the Principal Investigator's signature on sponsored CPS. This means the separate version of the Data Collection Sheet for CPS forms is discontinued. The updated PSIS form with the merged Data Collection information is available in the U-Wide Forms Library.
From Treasury Accounting:
Income Distribution Data
The FY09 first quarter endowment income distribution was processed on Thursday, November 20. The process produced inaccurate reinvestment information on many of the endowments. We are currently working on correcting the data. Until this issue is resolved, users will find that the information on the Participant Position page in PeopleSoft for September 30, 2008, and later is incorrect.
From Asset Management & Purchasing Services:
Asset Receiving Notification
Departmental (casual) receivers will now see the following message when they attempt to record the receipt of a capital asset that should be received by the procurement specialist.
You are attempting to record the receipt of an item that has been coded as a capital asset. Only your assigned procurement specialist(s) can record the receipt of a capital asset. Please complete a Request to Procurement Specialist form (UM 1681) and submit it to your assigned procurement specialist(s). The form is available in the U-Wide Forms Library.
In the past, departmental (casual) receivers have had the ability to record the receipt of a capital asset using the non-asset receipt method. This method does not allow for the entry of physical information on capital assets. As of Monday, November 24, this ability will no longer be available.
The departmental (casual) receiver must obtain the physical information of a capital asset from the asset and its associated shipping documents (e.g., packing slips), complete a Request to Procurement Specialist form, and submit it to the assigned Procurement Specialist. Procurement specialists will then record the receipt of the capital asset.
Departmental (casual) receivers
- Physically receive all goods in accordance with University policy. This includes capital equipment assets (assets), non-capital equipment items (non-assets), and supply items (non-assets).
- Record the receipts of non-assets in the financial system.
- Timely complete Request to Procurement Specialist forms and submit them to assigned procurement specialists.
Procurement specialists
- Review Request to Procurement Specialist forms for accuracy and completeness.
- Record the receipts of assets in the financial system.
From Sponsored Projects Administration:
Three Sponsored Projects Reports Available
Enhancements that you requested over the summer on three key sponsored projects reports have now been completed, and updated versions of these reports have been put into production.
The updated reports include:
- Sponsored Award Overview
- Sponsored Project Detail
- Sponsored Projects Detail - Expenses
For convenience, we've prepared a list of all of these reports, plus brief descriptions. We've also summarized what is being enhanced on the existing reports; and provided samples of those already in production. For a summary of key information, click here.
Enhancements on the NOGA and on the Sponsored Award Summary reports are nearing completion, and four new reports for pre-award accounts are expected to be released in December.
The University Financial Helpline staff has made great strides in their ability to answer your questions about the new financial system. To ensure a productive use of all staff, it is important that all questions be logged and answered through the University Financial Helpline. Do not duplicate your efforts by putting in a ticket and then calling or e-mailing other central staff to try to get an answer. This causes redundant efforts when several people are researching the same question. If you have questions about EFS, contact the University Financial Helpline at 612-624-1617 or finsys@umn.edu.
System Holiday Schedule
The system will be up and running as normal over the holiday weekend, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The regular EFS maintenance window for production (FSUMPRD) is 3:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.each Sunday.
The reporting instance (FSUMRPT) is brought down at 4:45 a.m. until 5:45 a.m. Monday through Saturday to "clone" the information for production purposes. On Sundays, this window is 4:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
EFS Rolls Out First Two Web-based UM Reports
Two new reports are now available to users through the UM Reports Web site (www.umreports.umn.edu). They are part of the suite of basic financial reports to be rolled out to users over the next few weeks. The reports are designed to better address the reporting gaps and usability issues reported by users. (To read the November 10 announcement of the EFS reporting plan, click here.)
Both of the reports are General Ledger summary reports. Each report can be run by specifying a single ChartField, any combination of ChartFields, or all ChartFields (consisting of Fund, DeptID, Program, CSProject, FinEmplID, CF1, CF2), and will list results for all ChartField strings matching those selected. Both reports include help documentation defining data sources, column definitions, and report calculations. Help documentation can be found by clicking the information icon.
Carryforward information in the reports pulls information through CUFS Period 13. If you have questions about your carryforward amount, please contact your RRC (for carryforward mapping questions) or the Financial Helpline (for other questions) at 612-624-1617 or finsys@umn.edu.
The reports are:
Account Budget Status for Current Non-sponsored Funds Report
This report is a budget status report by selected ChartFields for current nonsponsored funds only. The report displays a fiscal-year-to-date summary through the selected accounting period by financial account in each of the following sections: current resources, budget, expenditures, net transfers, and unobligated budget balance. The report may be useful to distribute summarized account information to other staff and monitor year-to-date actual versus budgeted financial activity. To run this report, valid ChartField information is required to use to filter the data displayed on the report.
When viewing balances in this report, please note that payroll expense entries are current; however, payroll encumbrance entries are posted through September 30.
ChartField String Budget Status for Current Non-Sponsored Funds Report
This report displays a fiscal-year-to-date summary through the selected accounting period by selected ChartField for current nonsponsored funds only. For each row of activity displayed on the report, the full ChartField string displays: prior year carryforward, revenue, expenditures, transfers-in, and transfers-out. The report will also display the ending balance for each identified group and for the total. The use of this report will be specific to each financial or administrative unit and the ChartFields selected. To run this report, valid ChartField information is required to use to filter the data displayed on the report.
When viewing balances in this report, please note that payroll expense entries are current; however, payroll encumbrance entries are posted through September 30.
Access and Navigation
Current faculty and staff have access to UM Reports using their Internet ID and password. Access to UM Reports does NOT require M Key validation. From the UM Reports home page, click on Search Reports from the links on the left side of the page. Once on the index page, filter the index by Category: Enterprise Financials, Subcategory: Non-Sponsored.
Reporting Reference Guide Available
A reporting reference guide, Running Financial Management Reports in UM Reports, on the two reports is attached (pdf) and is available from Training Services.
Reporting Lab Scheduled
An open-topic lab is scheduled for next Tuesday, November 25, from 1 to 4 p.m., in 255 WBOB. Users can bring reporting questions to this lab if they like.
The next official reporting lab is scheduled for Tuesday, December 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., in 531 WBOB. This lab is by appointment only. Contact Training Services at trngsvcs@umn.edu or 612-626-1373 to schedule an appointment.
Next Steps
A detail transaction report for verification and reconciliation purposes will be available to users after Thanksgiving in both UM Reports and the PeopleSoft reporting instance. The sponsored reports will be completed during the month of December and will be announced when they become available.
To download "Applying Multiple Chartstrings to Blanket Orders," click here.
Batch Processing Times Changed
On Monday, Nov. 10, 2008, the batch job processing times were changed from hourly to 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m. This announcement was made on the EFS Web site.
Staff, especially procurement specialists should:
- be able to access requisitions and POs for changes or edits before 10 a.m. each day
- assume the batch jobs will run 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. hour and refrain from changes or edits to requisitions or PO documents during this time
- be able to access requisition and PO documents for changes or edits between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
- assume the batch jobs will run 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. hour and refrain from changes or edits to requisitions or PO documents during this time
- be able to access requisition and PO documents for changes or edits between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
- assume the batch jobs will run 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. hour and refrain from changes or edits to requisitions and PO documents during this time
- assume the batch jobs will run 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. hour and refrain from changes or edits to requisitions and PO documents during this time
NOTES:
- The aggressive batch job timing in the afternoon is to accommodate the many vendors with afternoon cutoffs for receiving orders so they can make their next day deliveries.
- The requisition preparers have access to Create Requisitions at all times.
- Receivers have access to Receive items at all times.
- This schedule change does NOT affect, and is not related to any Accounts Payable, PCard, or Expenses batch processes.
VCPS Special Handling Requests Instructions
The VCPS process creates a payment voucher through a series of scheduled batch jobs. The requisition process does not allow the requester to designate special handling instructions. The following instructions apply to special handling requests on VCPS documents only.
1. The requisition preparer completes a Check Handling Request Form indicating check routing instructions or payment date, (e.g., East Bank Bursar).
2. The requisition preparer faxes the form to Disbursement Services at 612-625-2844 immediately after the requisition is entered. Do not wait for the voucher number to be assigned. In addition, e-mail Noreen Elliott ellio003@umn.edu and Leslie Koidahl koida001@umn.edu. The e-mail should include the Vendor Code, Dollar amount, Vendor Name, and Routing Instructions (Bursar location).
The reason Disbursement Services requires an e-mail and fax is that the window of opportunity to execute the special handling instructions is limited.
3. The requisition preparer sends the completed Check Handling Request form and the invoice/ Check Request Form to the cluster imaging staff. Clearly mark the documents "VCPS - Do Not Enter - Submitted for Imaging Only."
4. Imaging staff holds the documents until the voucher has been created. Once the voucher has been created the documents should be scanned and linked to the voucher.
5. Disbursement Services executes the special handling instructions and notifies the requester.
Avoid Duplicate VCPS Payments
Requisition Preparers
Refer to the Invoice Numbering Standards Job Aid. If the vendor does not provide an invoice it is necessary to create a Check Request Form located in the forms library. When completing the Check Request Form online first populate the date and name section of the form and the system will automatically create an invoice number. It is critical that the same numbering format is used to prevent duplicate payments.
Approvers
Professional services payments are being paid twice because the VCPS requisition creates the voucher and then the voucher specialist posts an invoice as Non-Purchase Order purchase.
All professional services and consulting under $3000 should be purchased and paid through the VCPS process. Do not approve Non-PO Related Invoices for professional services. You can identify these in a quick review of the Chartstring - if the Account Code is 730XXX it is probably a professional or consulting service. If you receive a Non-PO Related Invoice to approve for professional services, return it to the requester indicating it should be deleted and processed as a VCPS.
Procurement Specialist
Professional services payments are being paid twice because the VCPS requisition creates the voucher and the voucher specialist posts an invoice/check request against the purchase order. This does create a match exception that needs to be researched and resolved. Match exceptions on VCPS's are being overridden resulting in a duplicate payment to the vendor.
Receipts for Over PO Amount
There is $0 tolerance between the receipt and the purchase order. If you are trying to receive for more than the purchase order identified was ordered, the error will stop the receipt. If the additional amount is acceptable, the procurement specialist should do a change order to the PO to add the additional amount as an approved amount over the original order. The 10% tolerance mentioned in training is related to the PO and Voucher amounts.
Message to financial users on EFS reporting: click here.
From Training Services:
More Endowments Training
Training Services has opened another session of Endowments training on Thursday, December 18, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., 543 WBOB. Call Training Services at 612-626-1373 to enroll. Please be sure to have your employee ID available when you call.
Two Vendor Payment Webinars Added
Due to demand, two additional Vendor Payment Refresher webinars have been scheduled:
- Monday, November 17, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
- Tuesday, November 18, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
For more information, visit the Training Services Web site. To register, you can go directly to OneStop.
If you have questions, contact Training Services at 612-626-1373 or trngsvcs@umn.edu.
From Purchasing Services:
U-Stores Blanket Order Info Revised
Purchasing Services has updated its information on U-Stores Blanket Orders. For the most up-to-date information, download: U-Stores Blanket Orders.
From Disbursement Services:
Invoice Numbering Standards Help
From OIT Data Security:
Access Request Forms
Some of the Access Request Forms have changed and we are encouraging financial users to always go to the Data Security Web site to get the most current version. This will save you time.Another point to keep in mind is that users who wish to make changes to their ARF should always start with a new ARF and indicate only the changes. Then send it through the appropriate approval steps again. We have had situations where users are marking up their old faxed in copy and we are returning those to users because they bypass the approval process.
M Key Information
When Data Security receives an Access Request Form, they check to see if the user needs an M Key and, if so, will send one to the user. Users do not need to request an M Key. This, and other useful information, is available on the M Key Web site.
The following has caused some confusion for users since July 1: Remember, access to the production instance (FSUMPRD) automatically grants users access to the reporting Instance. Another common problem occurs when a user logs into the wrong instance, for example they are in the production instance when they mean to be in reporting. Also be sure that you log in to Financials on the OneStop page and not one of the other systems.
EFS Maintenance Windows
EFS Listserv Changes
If you wish to add, change, or delete your address on the EFS listserv, please e-mail finsys@umn.edu with the words "EFS listserv" in the subject line. Thank you!
Resources for Financial System Users
From Accounting Services: Period 1 Closed
Period 1 in the general ledger closed this morning, Thursday, Nov. 6. Amounts recorded in the ledger for this period have been finalized and reports can be generated.
Resolved - M Key Issue
The M Key issue that we were experiencing has been resolved. All users should be able to access the Enterprise Financial System using their M Key.
M Key Issue
Although the EFS production system is running, there is currently an M Key issue that is prohibiting some users from logging into EFS. We are aware of the problem and are working quickly to resolve it.
Vendor Payments Refresher Webinar
This webinar, offered via UMConnect Meeting, covers recent important updates to vendor payments information. It is intended for financial system users who have already completed the instructor-led Vendor Payments course.
The webinar will run for approximately an hour and a half. The first hour will be an instructor presentation and demonstration, and the final half-hour will be a chat session, during which time you can submit questions to the instructor, and the instructor will reply in real-time.
Three sessions of this webinar are currently available for registration:
For more information and to register, click here or contact Training Services at 612-626-1373.
VCPS Processing and Duplicate Payments
When creating a VCPS requisition, a payment voucher is automatically created from the VCPS requisition, passed to the AP module, and paid. No other transaction is needed. An invoice or Check Request Form should NOT be entered into PeopleSoft for a VCPS transaction. Disbursement Services has discovered a number of duplicate payments because departments are processing both the VCPS requisition and an invoice. Please share this information with all appropriate parties.
Tips from Purchasing Services
Purchasing Services has created a short tip sheet for approvers, requesters, and casual receivers. Click here to download a PDF.
PCard- October 2008 Purchase Detail Reports
An issue occurred that affects some of the Purchase Detail Reports for the 10-24-08 billing date. The date format in the barcode was missing the characters to identify the month (MM or 10). While the problem was identified and corrected 10-21-08, it is unclear how many reports this may affect that have already been sent for imaging.
When searching for an October 2008 Purchase Detail Report in ImageNow, the workaround is as follows:
From Training Services:
Reporting Lab Set for October 30
To assist with the financial reporting efforts, Training Services is offering a reporting lab on October 30, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Room 531 WBOB. The format for this lab is a bit different than previous labs in that it is by appointment only. Each appointment is an hour and a half in length and we can accommodate two people, who have similar reporting needs, per appointment.
Reporting labs are not structured classes on reports. Participants should bring their specific questions and reporting needs to the lab for the trainer to best assist them. In addition, participants will be working with real data so chartfield strings and M Keys are required. A "standard" reporting overview will not be provided in these labs. Participants will get the most out of these lab appointments if they have first reviewed the reporting job aids found on the Training Services Web site and have attempted to run a few reports.
To make an appointment, call 612-626-1373.
From Purchasing Services:
Update on Attachments
The following information updates a September 30 announcement on the EFS Web site.
Some attachments to requisitions and purchase orders processed in July and August are no longer accessible or viewable on some requisitions. If you wish to view the list of requisitions and the list of purchase orders with inaccessible attachments, go to http://purchasing.umn.edu/finsyspurch.html
The requisition list is a list of requisitions not yet sourced to a purchase order and does not include requisitions with a complete or cancel status. This list is sorted by the requestor. The purchase order list is sorted by the procurement specialist and does not include purchase orders with a complete or cancel status.
If the attachment was a signed Contract for Professional Services (CPS) and you need a copy, Purchasing may have a file copy. To check, please send an email to bethtapp@umn.edu.
From Purchasing Services:
Stuck Requisition Lines to be Closed Out
When a requisition with multiple lines is issued and some lines have vendor reference and some lines do not, the system issues a purchase order on the lines with vendors. Those remaining lines on the same requisition are then stuck in the system.
Purchasing has a list of these and will be closing out those lines that cannot source to an order.
If you have this situation on multiple line requisitions in the future, contact Purchasing. If your requisition was for only one line and the vendor was missing, contact your procurement specialist to unlock the line, so that the requisition preparer can edit the vendor ID.
From Purchasing Services:
Web Ordering in Firefox Not Recommended
The Web tab ordering process works best if your system is not using Firefox.
Expense Transactions Tip
Expense transactions are occasionally getting stuck in a status other than that which was intended. For example, when attempting to approve a transaction, it may remain in Submitted for Approval status rather than changing to Approved for Payment. This is caused by clicking the Approve button, going back to the worklist and clicking the same link again if it has not been removed from the worklist. Please be aware that there may be a time delay, from the time it is approved to the time it leaves the worklist.
Workflow Approval Worklist Fixed
A program has been developed and tested that will remove worklist entries from the approver's worklist. The program will remove worklist entries that are no longer valid because the transaction was approved through a means other than the use of the worklist. The first run of the program was on October 14, and it is scheduled to run weekly on Sundays in the future.
Search Function on EFS Web site
Check out the new Google search function in the upper left hand corner of the EFS Web site. From the EFS Web site, you can also search the Internet and the U of M site.
EFS Maintenance Windows PLEASE NOTE TIME CHANGE
- For this Sunday, please note that the regular EFS maintenance window for production (FSUMPRD) has been extended. It will be 3:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
- The reporting instance (FSUMRPT) is brought down at 4:45 a.m. until 5:45 a.m. Monday through Saturday to "clone" the information for production purposes. On Sundays, this window is 4:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Resources for Financial System Users
- If you have questions about EFS, contact the Financial Helpline at 612-624-1617 or finsys@umn.edu.
- Check the EFS Web site for Alerts & Announcements. You'll also find Questions & Answers by Topic.
- EFS Updates are also posted on the Web site. Click here.
Chartfield Attributes (including DeptID Workflow Information)
Beginning Monday, October 13, new functionality will be available for users to view the chartfield attribute information for all chartfields. This information is particularly important for the DeptID chartfield as it defines the specific user ID where a transaction will be routed for approval. It should be noted that while this configuration defines how transactions will be routed, it does not guarantee users access to approval pages. (The appropriate Access Request Form must be completed.) Users can access chartfield attribute information using the following navigation: Set Up Financials/Supply > Common Definitions > Design ChartFields > Define Values > ChartField Values. After choosing the appropriate chartfield and value, click the "Attributes" link to view the page.
Okay to Post Revenue Without Budget Line
We have heard from some users that they did not know that commitment control had been set up so that users could post revenue even if there was not a budget line for it. This caused some confusion for users who were not aware of this procedure and were seeing revenue on a DeptID-Fund-Program combination that had not been budgeted. Some users had limited reporting to only combinations that had budgets. It is okay for users to post revenue without a budget line.
Some goods and services may be purchased without a purchase order. Payments are made by using the University Procurement Card, itemized Vendor Invoice, or Check Request Form. Read more (pdf).
Issuing a Blanket Order to U Stores
In most cases, University departments should be ordering from U Stores using the web tab. A department may issue a blanket order to U Stores, using the blanket order requisition tab, under limited circumstances. Read more (Revised 11-06-08, pdf)
Unit of Measure on Requisitions
Requesters: Please choose your unit of measure carefully on requisitions. A special logic is built into CPS transactions and blanket order transactions. That special logic applies to the unit of measure "LOT." If LOT is used on those types of transactions, the system automatically sets them to Amount Only for receiving by dollar amount and not by quantity later.
The special request and Web requisitions may also use 1 LOT as a unit of measure but there is no system logic behind them. So if you use 1 LOT on these types of requisitions, the first receipt entered later will use up your 1 quantity and no more receipts or vouchers will process on that order.
Reminder - Selecting a Vendor for a Requisition
When selecting a vendor for a requisition, please don’t assume that the vendor selected for the first line will apply to all lines. This is not the case. Be sure to use the magnifying glass and SELECT a vendor for each line, even if you select the same vendor for all lines. Also, don't cut and paste the vendor from the line above as the system will use the default location for the vendor. This can result in creating two purchase orders, each going to a separate location.
Billing Dates and Procurement Card Purchase Detail Report
It is not always clear what Billing Date to use when printing the Purchase Detail Report.
Transactions made near the end of the month (e.g., transaction dates of 9/24/08 or 9/25/08) may be posted in the September billing cycle or the October billing cycle.
Follow these steps to resolve this issue:
.Additional tip: If you click on the Billing Date column header, the transactions will be sorted into billing date order.
From the Treasury Team: Additional Access for General Users
View/Inquiry access has been added under the Cash Management page for general users. This access will give users the ability to view/inquire information related to endowment investments.
Cluster Site Visits Ongoing by Training Services
Many financial clusters have taken advantage of Training Services site visits to provide them with customized assistance for their clusters and department preparers. The agenda for the group meetings is based on a needs assessment completed by the cluster director. The length of the site visits can be for half a day, a whole day, or more, whatever is needed by the cluster. Feedback from those who have hosted the site visits has been very positive and has ranged from a better understanding of the role of the cluster to the role of the procurement specialist to troubleshooting and resolving match exception errors. To arrange a site visit, contact Training Services: Carolie Carlson at 612-626-1349 or Kirsten Hansen at 612-626-7318.
Training Services Web Site Reorganized
Financial users will be able to locate information on the Training Services Web site more quickly thanks to some content reorganization. Job aids on the Financial Management Course Materials are now organized by course. Drop-down menus on the materials and courses page enable users to find the information they needs fast. All materials that have been updated now include a revision date so financial users can tell which information is current and accurate.
EFS Maintenance Windows
- The regular EFS maintenance window for production (FSUMPRD) is 3:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. each Sunday.
- The reporting instance (FSUMRPT) is brought down at 4:45 a.m. until 5:45 a.m. Monday through Saturday to "clone" the information for production purposes. On Sundays, this window is 4:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Travel and Expense Approval E-mails
Travel and Expense Approval e-mails have been updated to more accurately reflect the status of Expense Reports and Cash Advances in the approval process. Expense transactions that are approved require no further action. Expense transactions that are sent back for revision require action by the preparer. If you do not have access to the financial system you will not be able to access the link.
Doublecheck Your Internet Explorer Version
The Financial Helpline is reporting that some users are unaware that they should be using IE version 7, not IE 6. A problem was identified with IE version 6 after the switch was made to LDAP/M Key authentication. You can also use a current version of Firefox.
Also, remember to disable popup blockers in your browser.
To read information on browser requirements and pop-up blockers click here.
New Job Aids
A new job aid for procurement specialists Asset Receiving Procedures (9-29-08) and a revised budget journal job aid Accounts and Amounts (revised 9-23-08) have been added to the Training Services Web site.
PCard Reconciliation Tutorial Transcript Available
A complete transcript (pdf) of the PCard Reconciliation online tutorial is now available to download from the main course page in WebVista.
System Access & U-Stores Tutorial
Completing the U-Stores tutorial does not automatically grant access to the financial system. One must still complete an Access Report Form and receive an M Key. If you have lab personnel in your area, please let them know this.
Go-Live Kit Contents Moved
The Go-Live Kit, which was previously on the EFS Web site homepage, has been removed. The financial system access, navigation, and system requirements information is now located on the Training Services Web site.
Sponsored Accounts Edit Errors
Some users are getting edit errors on transactions when they’re using a sponsored account. To avoid this, be sure to enter PCBU and Activity along with the rest of the ChartField string when trying to process against a Project ID. Otherwise, users will get an invalid chart string error.
EFS Maintenance Windows
- The regular EFS maintenance window for production (FSUMPRD) is 3:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. each Sunday.
- The reporting instance (FSUMRPT) is brought down at 4:45 a.m. until 5:45 a.m. Monday through Saturday to "clone" the information for production purposes. On Sundays, this window is 4:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.