Resources
General ledger FBDI template (no change) is in Box here: https://rice.box.com/s/pyymko3q5rga6mukgbdfyxzumjkqub5z (FBDI templates and drop-off / Templates). (I can’t upload an Excel with a macro to the blog.)
General ledger FBDI written instructions (no change): GL FBDI written instructions
Non-labor cost transfer template (updated to remove italics from sample lines): Non-Labor Cost Transfer Request Form Jan24
Expenditure types (no change, most recent available): Expenditure-Types-11.01.21
When to use each:
Use the general ledger FBDI when you are creating a journal entry or correction using chart strings (fund type, fund source) and the non-labor cost transfer when you are using a project code. (The non-labor cost transfer may include chart string information as well for compliance reasons. The general ledger FBDI will not include project information.)
Recap of meeting:
Today we talked about issues with general ledger FBDI entries and non-labor cost transfers that slow down processing. We want to be able to post these entries quickly.
Between the two areas, there are thousands and thousands of entries each year. Every time something goes awry, someone has to figure out what exactly went wrong and figure out how to fix it before the process can move forward.
The entries are processed by computer, and computers are very literal. There is no room for interpretation; you’re instructions on the form must be precise and accurate. The computer will do EXACTLY what you tell it to do.
Starting with the general ledger FBDI
The sample line(s) are there as a guide. Please delete them from your completed document.
Oracle interprets a blank line as a sign to stop.
Some fields must be copied exactly as they appear, and I mean EXACTLY. These are highlighted on the general ledger FBDI template in yellow. You may not change them. You may not leave them blank.
If you change the ledger ID, for example, then Oracle does not know this entry is for Rice University and your entry can process with no errors and yet vanish since Oracle doesn’t know to post it to our general ledger. Please do not use the fill handle to drag the ledger ID down as it will change the number on each line.
If the Actual Flag is not entered as A (for actual) then the entry will not be included in YTD actuals.
There is a step in the processing that requires us to identify which process we are loading. Your entry for Journal Source and Journal Category must match the pre-assigned list of existing Journal Sources and Journal Categories. If you enter “Department Journal” or “department journals” instead of “Department Journals” then the process will fail.
Dates in the general ledger FBDI are “any open period,” means the current calendar month or the month just prior, if we’re still in the process of closing. For example, on January 4 you can post to December or January but not September or August. I realize PPM works differently, but the general ledger will reject any date outside an open period.
Chart of accounts values must exist.
We used to have a data entry operator in the Banner days, Pat Roycroft. She could look at your paper form and figure it out if you entered the department’s old org code, or swapped the fund and org fields, or left off a leading zero, or whatever. Oracle cannot do that.
The chart string elements must be entered as TEXT. The cells are formatted in the template, but sometimes if you copy and paste from another document this setting can be messed up. When you highlight the chart cells you should see the format box over the dollar sign showing “Text.” Please do not use an ‘ at the beginning of a field to indicate text; use the formatting option.
This is probably the easiest issue to correct. As we’ve gotten more experienced and memorized more of the chart, it’s gotten to the point that Flor and I can look at a failed document and spot the errors more easily. We have moved past the point of needing to look up every value to see if it is legit, fortunately.
Selection of account does matter.
Do not make entries to net assets, account 4999. That account is used only at year-end, only to roll forward the balance from one year to the next. If you use this account I will change it, and I will choose something that is convenient for me, and you will be sad.
Balance transfers should generally be entered on a balance transfer form in AdobeSign. From time to time, there is a reason to use a transfer account on a general ledger FBDI. When that happens, remember that transfer entries must net to zero so you need to use account 6800 on both sides of the entry. If you make a lopsided entry, I will change it, and I will choose something that is convenient for me, and you will be sad.
Internal sales involve selling goods or services from one university department to another university department. The credit side of those sales (seller) should post to accounts in the 5950-5989 range and the debit side (buyer) to account in the 8950-8989 range. When those don’t net to zero, Brad gets angry with me, and then I am sad.
If you don’t work in F&CP or RMC, you should avoid the non-operating accounts labeled “endowment and plant.” Those are not for you.
Amounts must balance and be expressed in dollars and cents, not fractions of cents.
The debits and credits must be equal and offsetting. If you sum column AM and column AN the amounts must match.
The amounts must be entered in dollars and cents. This can be a particular problem for folks that use formulas, so please include a step for the =round function.
Journal Batch Name is important.
This is as close as Oracle gets to a journal number. Our dashboards are structured to report this field, so please don’t leave it blank. I encourage you to use some identifying information and the date, for example “C Davis 01102024”. If you don’t want your name on the entry that’s OK, but please include something that refers to your department or service center, like “Fondren DMC December”. This is not the time to use something generic like “Correction”. That does not convey information.
This field is so crucial that if you leave it blank we will fill it in.
Interface Group Identifier is the other half of the journal number.
This is not an optional field. It must be completed and the value must be numbers. You can use the same number for the whole spreadsheet, that’s perfectly fine. You can change it if you want to, and some people like to include meaning in this field. It does become part of the posting information.
You can tell when I’m loading, because I usually change everybody’s 1’s and 2’s to 698099. It helps me keep from stepping on Simone or Joel in the “import journal” step.
Joel then covered some additional issues from non-labor cost transfers.
- The NLCT entry lines cannot include italics, bold, or underlined values. Template has been updated to remove italics.
- Oracle is very, very picky about the expenditure type and any variation from the system value will fail, including a space after the value or correcting a misspelled word. Consider copy-and-pasting from the list of expenditure types.
- The hardest thing to correct is blanks and out-of-balance entries.
Resources and Zoom recording available in the FBDI box folder.
