| Term |
Definition |
| Account/Account Code
(A)
|
First “A” in FOAPAL.
Designates asset, liability, equity, revenue, expenditure,
and transfer account classifications.
Categories include general ledger accounts (assets
and liabilities) and operating ledger accounts (revenues
and expenses).
Similar to object code in the old Finance system.
|
| Account Balance |
The difference in dollars between the total debits
and the total credits in an account. |
| ACH |
Automated clearing house (also known as “direct
deposit”) |
| Activity/Activity Code (A) |
Second “A” in FOAPAL.
An optional accounting string segment for a specific
event or major activity. It is short in duration, usually
less than one year. An example of an activity is commencement
2004. |
| Adjusted Budget |
Current budget. Adopted budget plus or minus any budget
adjustments. Total of all budget transactions. Details
on actual transactions can be obtained by “drilling
down” on this field. |
| Adopted Budget |
Original budget given at the beginning of the fiscal
year. |
| Application Forms |
Are used to enter, update and view information. You
can also search for information on these forms. |
| Available Balance |
Remaining budget left to spend. (=adjusted budget
+/-commitments+/-actuals) |
| Banner |
The name of the enterprise resource planning (ERP)
software that was purchased from SCT Corporation (recently
acquired by Sungard). A comprehensive, integrated information
system. The finance module of this administrative software
is used to record financial transactions resulting from
activity at the University. It stores transactional
data in an Oracle relational database, and users view
information via a Web-based self-service system. |
| Blocks |
A technical term--Blocks, sometimes called information
areas, are the segments of a form where information
is located. The blocks of a form are clusters of Blocks,
sometimes called information areas, are the segments
of a form where information is located. The blocks of
a form are clusters of information and are generally
accessed by the execution of the next block function. |
| Budget Adjustment |
Any additions or reductions made to the budget. This
includes both permanent and temporary adjustments. |
| Budget Status by Account Query |
Allows you to view summary information for accounts
and drill down to detail. |
| Budget Status by Organizational Hierarchy
Query |
Allows you to view summary information for hierarchy
organizations. Detail transactions can be viewed by
“drilling down” to individual organizations
and then to actual transactions. |
| Chart of Accounts |
Numbering system used by the Finance system to capture
financial transactions and to facilitate retrieval of
information and financial reporting. (FOAPAL) |
| Code Look Up |
Feature that enables you to search for valid values
within the Finance database. (you can look up the code
by title or numerically). |
| Commitment |
Commitments are made up of reservations plus encumbrances.
Equal to the total amount set aside for future obligations. |
| Commodity Item |
Refers to item(s) being purchased. Provides a description
of the purchased item (e.g. paper, test tubes). |
| Comparison Fiscal Period |
The fiscal month you wish to query. The
fiscal period does not default to the current fiscal
period. It is important that you double check the fiscal
period when you are building your budget reports. The
University's fiscal year starts in July. |
| Comparison Fiscal Year |
Represents the University’s fiscal year from
July 1st to June 30th. For example, “2004”
related to the year starting July 1, 2003 and ending
June 30th, 2004. This field will default to the current
year. |
| Credit |
A dollar amount that appears on the right-hand side
of an account ledger. Use a credit to record a decrease
in an asset or an increase in a liability or in owner’s
equity. |
| Current Commitment |
Amount remaining on an encumbrance. |
| Debit |
A dollar amount that appears on the left-hand side
of an account ledger. Use debit to record an increase
in an asset or a decrease in a liability or in owner’s
equity. |
| Discount Code |
Code representing the discount terms established for
this vendor. Can be overridden with existing discounts.
The discount code defaults from vendor code. |
| Document Code |
Unique identifier where the first letter indicates
the type of document (e.g. documents beginning with
a “P”=purchase orders.) |
| Drilling Down |
A phrase used to indicated more detailed information
can be obtained by clicking on the individual document
codes or transaction amounts to see more aspects related
to the transaction. |
| Encumbrance |
Represents funds that have been reserved but not yet
expended. Encumbrances in the Finance system include
purchase orders or contracts, and other commitments
of funds. Encumbrances do not appear on asset and liability
accounts. |
| Encumbrance Adjustment |
Adjustments made to the original encumbrance, reducing
or increasing the encumbered amount. |
| Encumbrance Description |
Encumbrances from purchase orders show the name of
the vendor to whom the purchase order has been issued. |
| Encumbrance Liquidations |
Liquidations of encumbrances, usually through payment
for goods or services. Drilling down on a purchase order
that has been liquidated provides details on the payment
transactions. |
| Encumbrance Query |
Allows you to view encumbrance information by account
for a specified FOAPAL parameter. |
| Encumbrance Status Open |
Purchase orders that have not been fully liquidated. |
| Encumbrance Status Closed |
Purchase orders that have been fully liquidated. |
| Encumbrance Ledger |
Used in the Finance system to track encumbrance activity
and its status. |
| Equity |
The net value of an asset or business (i.e. Assets
minus Liabilities). |
| Execute Query |
Click this button to carry out the query (to question
the database). |
| Extended Amount |
The quantity multiplied by the unit price generates
the extended amount. |
| Fiscal Period |
The number of the fiscal month you wish to query.
Note: the University's fiscal period starts in July.
The Finance system queries on all transactions prior
to and including the period indicated. |
| Fiscal Year |
Represents the University’s fiscal year from
July 1 to June 30. This field will default to the current
year but can be overridden. |
| FOAPAL |
Chart of accounts structure composed of six elements:
Fund, Organization, Account, Program, Activity, and
Location (FOAPAL). |
| Forms |
A technical term--forms follow a seven
character naming convention. Each position (character)
represents a system, module or identifies a form. You
will use forms to enter, update and query information.
The types of forms you will use most often are Menu,
Application, Query and Validation forms. |
| Fund/Fund Type (F) |
“F” in FOAPAL. The fund element
is used to specify the funding source. Examples of funds
include: educational and general, auxiliary enterprises,
financial aid, and indirect cost recovery. For funding
sources other than grants and contracts, the fund code
represents information similar to the ledger used in
the old Finance system. Each grant or contract is assigned
a separate fund code to identify the funding source.
When performing budget queries for inception-to-date
information on grants, the fund code becomes the grant
code. |
| General Ledger
(GL) |
A core subsystem of the Finance system.
It encompasses fund accounting, chart of accounts, system
table maintenance and update, and grants and contract
accounting. |
| General Person |
A general person is a basic record of
information shared by more than one module of the entire
system (e.g. Student, Finance, HR). They can be defined
as a person or non-person in the system. Some of the
information that is shared between more than one module
in the general record file includes: id, name, address,
phone, and biographic/demographic. |
| Grant Ledger |
Records inception-to-date revenue, expense
and transfer transactions on a grant year basis. Separate
from the operating ledger, but has a nearly identical
structure. |
| Journal Voucher |
The journal voucher forms allow the user
to create journal entries. Journal vouchers may be used
to record original entries or adjustments and corrections
to previously recorded transactions. To determine the
type of journal transaction to process the user enters
the journal type as defined in the rule class table.
There are two journal voucher forms (quick form and
detailed form). |
| Key Blocks |
A technical term--The key block is the
first block on most forms. The information in this block
determines what is entered to return to the Key block
once you have moved out of it by using the Rollback
function. |
| Location/Location
Code (L) |
“L” is the L in FOAPAL. Used
to specify the assigned physical location of an asset
being purchased or the location of a transaction that
is different from the normal location of the organization.
This location code is optional and will be used primarily
for fixed asset expenditures. |
| Menu Forms |
Are lists of related forms, jobs, menus
and quick flows. |
| Non-Person |
In finance, a vendor is a non-person.
In accounts receivable, a non-person is any entity that
is not a student. |
| Operating
Accounts |
Operating accounts include revenues (tuition,
fees) expenditures (labor related costs, supplies and
services), and transfers. |
| Operating Ledger |
Stores cumulative totals of revenue,
expense and transfer transactions on a fiscal year basis. |
| Organization/Organizational
Code (O) |
“O in FOAPAL. Segment that represents
functional reporting units or departments. Used to identify
organizational unit that is responsible for financial
activity captured within the code. |
| Organizational Hierarchy |
Codes for organizations reflect the hierarchy
within the institution, providing a way to “rollup”
expenditures of subunits into a unit. |
| Original Commitments |
Amount of an original encumbrance. Encumbrances
represent funds that have been reserved but not yet
expended. |
| Person |
Any student, staff, or person in the
system |
| Personal Query |
A query that is retrievable only by the
user who created it. |
| Program/Program Codes (P) |
“P” in FOAPAL. Used to identify
the major purpose of expenditures. Program codes accumulate
expenditure information into major categories, such
as instruction, research, and academic support. |
| Purchase Order |
A written authorization for a vendor
to supply goods or services at a specified price over
a specified time period. |
| Quantity |
The commodity amount. The quantity multiplied
by the unit price generates the extended cost. |
| Query |
A means of finding all the records stored
in the database that fit a set of criteria you name. |
| Report Total |
Represents the bottom line total of all
records for your report. |
| Reservation |
Setting aside of a portion of a budget.
Generated by purchase requisitions. |
| Rollup |
Cumulative total for an organization
code comprised of subunits. |
| Rule/Rule Class Codes |
Rule codes are used to tell the system
how to process a transaction. It is important that the
correct rule code is used when processing transactions
in order for them to post to the ledgers properly. |
| Running Total |
Cumulative total of records up to and
including the current screen. |
| Screen Total |
Total of the records on the current screen
you are viewing. |
| Shared Query |
A query that is retrievable by any user.
Queries followed by an “s” are shared queries
and may be accessible by anyone in the system. |
| Temporary
Budget |
Adjustments done in the current year
that are temporary in nature. (budget adjustments that
will not roll over to the next fiscal year). |
| Validation
Forms |
Are used to define the values that can
be entered into specific fields. |
| Vendor ID |
Code and name of the vendor supplying
the commodities or services. Depending on the document
type, a search can be performed on the identification
code for the vendor. Use the code lookup. If a code
doesn’t already exist, request one from Purchasing
through the non-printable document text of a requisition. |
| Wild Card |
The % symbol is a wild card that will
allow you to query specific information by using limited
data plus the % symbol. A wild card can be used alone
or in combination with words or letters. |
| Year-to-Date |
Represents actual revenues and expenditures
posted. Year-to-activity. |
