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Brief Article: New financial system continues progress toward July 1 go-live (updated July 2, 2008)
Please note that information on these EFS Updates may have changed since the Updates were issued.
Reminder on planned system downtime:
Financial Helpline Hours Extended
Helpline hours have been extended to better assist financial users during this busy post-implementation period. Helpline staff will be available to answer your calls from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Reporting Assistance - Follow these steps
Several tools are available to assist you with reporting from the financial system. Most of these can be found on the financial system Web site at www.finsys.umn.edu on the Reporting page.
1) Reporting Crosswalk 1 and 2, which provides a comparison from UM Reports and Financial Reports on the Web to equivalent or similar reports located in the financial system.
2) Inquiry/Reporting Job Aid, which provides navigation paths to the reports identified in the crosswalks.
3) Introduction to Financial Reporting presentation. This is a Breeze presentation, which demonstrates the basics of running reports, looking at an inquiry screen, or using nVision.
How can you best use these tools?
Begin by locating the report you need using the crosswalk of legacy reports to new reports (#1 above). Once you find the name of the new report you need, then use the Inquiry/Reporting Job Aid to determine the navigation (#2 above). If you need assistance with running the report once you have navigated to it, view the Breeze presentation (#3 above).
More Reporting Assistance in Progress
Training Services is in the process of creating additional resources for reporting. A new, more in-depth tutorial on running reports will be available soon, along with a step-by-step job aid. Instructions for working with nVision reports are also being created. These additional reporting resources will be available by August.
Don't forget that you can get personal assistance with reporting and other financial system questions at the Training Labs. Training Services reports that there have been openings at every session.
Common Questions and Answers Posted Online
Find the answers to these and other Common Questions on the EFS Web site under Common Helpline Call Resolutions. We are adding to this list of common questions on an ongoing basis. You'll also find a compilation of other questions and answers organized by topic area at this location.
Posted today(7-25):
What is the procedure for departments ordering items over $50,000?
What is the procedure for ordering temporary administrative services?
How do I order pharmaceuticals from Boynton Health Services in PeopleSoft?
How do I receive and create vouchers for converted purchase orders?
How do I order from University Bookstores in PeopleSoft?
Tip from Purchasing Services: A common error for requestors is to forget the Vendor ID on their requisition lines. All lines must have a Vendor ID assigned. Entering the vendor on the first line does not default the vendor to the other lines.
Budget Journals Access Review
On July 21, the advanced access for budget adjustments that was granted to users will be reviewed to ensure that all users have the appropriate training and assessment completions on their record. Since access to budget adjustments includes both budget journals and journal entry access, users will need to confirm the following actions in order to maintain access to these two functionalities.
In order to retain budget journals access, users need to have the following:
1. a completed budget journals assessment on your training record
2. a completed access request form
Please note that access to regular journal entries is not the same as budget journals access. To receive access to regular journal entries, users need the following:
1. a completed journal entry assessment on your training record
2. a completed access request form
Combo Codes and $0 Budget Entries Resolution
Some users have indicated that they have had issues using combo codes after they have created a $0 budget entry in the General Ledger. Because the transactions are for $0, the lines do not post to the General Ledger and thus do not have combo codes built from them. This issue can be remedied by following the instructions under Common Resolutions on the EFS Web site. The instructions explain how users should enter a $.01 budget entry and set the transaction to auto-reverse the next day.
Reporting Job Aid Online
If you're looking for report navigation paths, be sure to review the Reporting Job Aid. It lists each navigation path by type and describes the purpose of each report.
Many other job aids are also online for your convenience.
Change Resources Available
We all respond to change differently. If you are feeling stressed or anxious due to the change to the new financial system, take a few minutes to review the many change resources highlighted on the EFS Web site.
July 17, 2008
Period 0 (beginning balance) balance sheet amounts and preliminary carry forward amounts are now available in PeopleSoft general ledger. These amounts are based on information through the close of Period 12. Both of these amounts are subject to change until all FY2008 CUFS transactions are converted into PeopleSoft and the final year-end processing is completed.
Keep in mind that balance sheet balances were converted at a summary level, and that most have not yet been moved to the appropriate detailed ChartField strings. Please refer to the June 16 EFS Update for further details.
-- Accounting Services
System Access Progressing
If you don't have access to the financial system, please check to see if you’ve completed your training and assessments by going to http://hrss.umn.edu. Any outstanding assessments should be completed as soon as possible.
The Security team will be separating the system access process from the original March training registration list by the end of July. If you were on the original March registration list and you haven't completed your required assessment(s) by July 31, you will also need to complete an Access Request Form (ARF).
Those who weren't on the March list should complete required assessment(s) and fill out an ARF now to gain system access.
After July 31, everyone will be required to complete an assessment(s), as well as an ARF, regardless of whether or not they were on the original March registration list.
The ARF and its accompanying attachments are available from the OIT Data Security Web site.
The review of assessments and ARFs is a manual process. Do not fax in duplicate ARFs unless the Security team has requested that you do so as the team will need to review all of the duplicate materials. We ask for your patience and understanding.
When you have been cleared for access to the relevant module(s), you will receive an e-mail notification from Security. We have received reports that people had access and then inexplicably “lost” their access. Access isn’t removed once it’s granted. Make sure that you are working in the right area of the system and haven’t inadvertently gone to the wrong instance area.
Training Labs are a Big Help!
Those who have attended the training labs have reported that the labs have helped them work through some of the issues they are experiencing. Bring your work! Get your questions answered in person! These labs are staffed and you can get hands-on assistance. View the schedule here.
Check out the Job Aids, too!
Class List by Function
Have you reviewed the EFS Class List by Function from Training Services? The newly updated list identifies the training needed to perform a function in the system and indicates whether the training is in a classroom or is an online tutorial. It is meant to guide people in determining what training is needed for their job.
COA Manual Undergoing Revision
The Chart of Accounts manual is being revised by Training Services and Accounting Services and will be available in early August. The new manual will be more user-friendly and information in the manual will be easier for users to locate. An announcement will be made when it is completed.
Common Helpline Questions: How do I...
...look up a scheduled payment to see if it’s been paid?
...find out if I’ve taken all my training and assessments?
...handle budget journal entries into BUDGET_FIN?
...know when accounting periods close in the new system?
...create a receipt for a UStores order?
Answers to these questions and others can be found on the Common Helpline Call Resolutions page on the EFS Web site. Check here first before calling the Financial Helpline. We will add to this list of common questions on an ongoing basis. You'll also find a compilation of other questions and answers organized by topic area at this location.
Call only once, please! All calls and e-mails to the Financial Helpline are logged by the Helpline staff and are processed as quickly as possible. When an individual calls the Helpline more than once on the same issue, the number of tickets logged and processed increases and delays occur in issue resolution.
Remember to bookmark the EFS Web site: www.finsys.umn.edu.
Sources of Information
Many sources of information exist for financial system users. Please first consult these resources before contacting the Financial Helpline as the Helpline is experiencing a large volume of calls and e-mails.
Links to a variety of information resources are located on the EFS Web site homepage. Follow these links for specific information:
Common Issues and Resolutions. This section provides answers to some of the questions addressed by the Financial Helpline.
Other FAQs. These are organized by type of business process.
Job aids. Training Services has a complete list of job aids.
Go-live kit. Here’s a collection of resources, including the Training Lab Schedule.
If you are unsure of your financial role or courses/assessments you should be taking, please contact your department administrator or RRC manager.
Quantities of the attached “go-live” information resources postcard were distributed to all cluster directors for distribution to financial staff. If you did not receive a copy, please print out the attached pdf for quick reference.
Please upgrade to Internet Explorer version 7 or use a current version of Firefox. See system requirements .
Tip: Be sure to clear your browser cache if you are having access issues.
Chart of Accounts Maintenance
Chart of Accounts maintenance requests are now processed through a Web-based tool. Three forms are used to request DeptID; Program; and ChartField 1, ChartField 2, and FinEmplID values.
A new job aid is available on the Training Services Web site and describes how to:
To access the Web-based tool to complete the forms, click here.
Access to the tool was previously determined with help from RRC managers. Additional access to the tool can be made by completing an Access Request Form (ARF) and the EFS Data Change Forms (BPEL) document.
Updated Chart of Accounts Manual
The updated Chart of Accounts manual, dated July 1, 2008, includes a number of value changes. The most current version can be downloaded from the Training Services Web site.
System Maintenance this Sunday
The financial system will be unavailable to users from 4 a.m. on Sunday until 7 a.m. on Monday for system maintenance. This includes the normal Sunday maintenance time period.
-- Enterprise Financial System SWAT Team
System Access Issues
The ability to access the Enterprise Financial System (EFS) is an issue for some users. In fact, this is the number one issue that the Helpline and the EFS SWAT team have dealt with during the first week that the new system has been live.
There are a variety of reasons why users are having access issues, but the single most common reason is that the user has not completed (or has only partially completed) the necessary assessment for the requested access. As you know, access to a role or function in EFS cannot be granted until assessments are completed and submitted.
The Security team is processing the completed assessments and access request forms (ARFs) as quickly as possible. The new financial system is configured to maintain a high degree of security and data integrity and, therefore, processing each assessment and ARF is somewhat time-consuming. The Security team is sending e-mails to users when they have been cleared for access to a particular module. We understand that it is frustrating for users who are waiting for access and we ask for your patience.
If you are unable to access the financial system or a particular module, please make sure you have completed the following steps:
If you have already completed and submitted an ARF, please do not submit a duplicate ARF. Our current backlog is partly due to duplicate forms, which take additional time to identify and exclude.
For more information on system access, visit http://www.finsys.umn.edu/fss/msg_acc1.html.
*Please pay very close attention to the name of the assessment you are taking to ensure that it matches the course you have taken. For example, some individuals are taking the "approval" assessment when what they require access to is the "preparer" role. This has occurred when users have taken the Travel & Expense Approvals assessment instead of the Travel Authorization and Expense Reimbursement assessment.
-- Enterprise Financial System SWAT Team
Over the weekend, historical general ledger data was converted into PeopleSoft. However, period 0 balances and preliminary carryforwards are not yet available. We are working on this and will send out a follow-up announcement when the information is available.
-- Accounting Services
Check Common Questions Before Contacting Helpline
To get your questions about EFS answered as quickly as possible, please first read the Common Questions on the EFS Web site before calling or e-mailing the Financial Helpline. We will add to this list of common questions on an ongoing basis. You'll also find a compilation of questions and answers organized by business process at this location.
Apple Ordering Information
The interface between PeopleSoft and Apple will be implemented sometime before August 1, 2008. The Apple tab will not be visible in PeopleSoft until then.
In the meantime, the procedure for ordering from Apple is the following: Requestors can shop at U Mart, identify the item they wish to purchase, write down or print the identifying information, and then either prepare a requisition or have a preparer do so for them. Please use the Apple vendor from Atlanta.
Blanket Orders for up to $50,000 and Three Years OK'd
Departments may set up blanket orders for non-asset items for a period of one, two, or three years, as long as the total amount does not exceed $50,000. Read the attached Blanket Orders Under $50,000 in PeopleSoft (pdf) for more information.
Configure Your Computer for Excel Downloads
Be sure to configure your computer to allow downloads of financial data to Excel. This is a quick, easy method to move data to Excel any time you see the Excel icon in PeopleSoft.
Visit the Training Labs
Get personal assistance on the new financial system at the Training Services Training Labs. You are encouraged to bring your work. Training Services staff members are on hand to help you.
Important Dates to Remember This Week
July 3: CUFS open for Period 13 FY08 activity (no ISO activity or HSA transactions allowed).
July 4: Conversion of Period 12 General Ledger and carryforward balances into PeopleSoft.
July 5 and 6: Conversion of sponsored project transaction detail into PeopleSoft. See EFS Rollout Calendar.
Maintenance Activities to Occur from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Today
Today PeopleSoft Financials (EFS) maintenance activities will occur from 5 p.m to 6 p.m. today (July 2), It is recommended that all users log out during this time period. If users do not log out, they may experience delays in communications through the application servers during this maintenance period. If issues are experienced, users should log in again and resubmit after 6 p.m.
Advance Notice on Financial System Downtime
During the conversion process, the financial system will be down at scheduled times. The financial system will be down:
The regular Sunday maintenance window (6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) also applies on all other weekends.
Power Outage Update
As announced by Vice President Kathleen O'Brien yesterday afternoon, a power outage occurred at the West Bank Office Building at 10:45 a.m. Although not housed in WBOB, the Enterprise Financial System was impacted by a corresponding power spike that occurred at 11:55 a.m. This power spike caused a problem within our data storage architecture. The results were performance degradation and system instability to EFS, which eventually led to the decision to bring down the system. After the system was brought down, EFS system data was restored back to its state at 11:55 a.m. on July 1. As a result, any transaction created in EFS after 11:55 a.m. on July 1 will need to be reentered in the system.
If you have any questions, please contact the Financial Helpline at 612-624-1617 or finsys@umn.edu. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding.