Chapter 1

Introduction to FIS Basic Concepts and Terminology

Introduction There are several systems that are used to complete the financial tasks at Washington University. The material that follows introduces the basic accounting structure at the University and specifically identifies terminology used in association with the Account Inquiry function. You will learn: 1. To identify basic concepts and terminology associated with Account Inquirys options.

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Page 1-1 FIS Overview

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Chapter 1

Objective 1: FIS Basic Concepts and Terminology

Account Inquiry is a sub-system within the Washington University accounting environment. Information Systems are comprised of several systems that work together to complete the financial activities of the University.

Washington University Information Systems

The Washington University Information Systems consist of a network of electronic and web-based systems that support all of the Universitys information processing needs. The Administrative Information System (AIS) includes the Financial Information System (FIS), which includes the Account Inquiry function.

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Administrative Information Systems

ADIS

AISystem Web

HRMS

Focus

Student Information Systems

Sponsored Projects Accounting

Other systems

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The table below gives a brief description of the various systems displayed on the previous page.

System Administrative Information Systems

System Description Administrative Information Systems The mainframe systems that incorporates several sub-systems that function jointly to accomplish the daily financial tasks. Alumni and Development uses this system to maintain Alumni information. The web based system that currently is the home of some webbased FIS documents, Research Administration, Grants Budgeting, Account Profile, Budget Grouping and Account Inquiry this is the future FIS System. Human Resource Management System is used to maintain and report on employees and nonemployees information including personal information, job, salary history and wages. Automatic reporting system that interacts with HRMS and other Administrative Information Systems. Student Information Systems maintain students academic and financial records. Sponsored Projects Accounting is used by Sponsored Projects to maintain information concerning grants for private agencies along with some government agencies.

ADIS

AISystems

HRMS

FOCUS

SIS

SPA

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System OTHER

System Description Additional systems used; they will not be covered in this introduction.

Administrative Information Systems

The Administrative Information Systems encompass other systems that complete specific responsibilities. FIS is the electronic Financial Information System used for interactively creating, storing and retrieving all financial data including documents, transactions, balances and encumbrances.

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Financial Information and AISystem Systems

Accounts Payable

Grants Budgeting

Personnel Hiring

Space

Asset

HRMS

Profile

The table below gives a brief description of the various systems displayed in the figure above. System Accounts Payable System Description Allows the processing and inquiry of all documents needed to process payments to vendors outside of the University. Allows detailed maintenance of University assets.

Asset

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System Grants Budgeting

System Description Assists with the budget proposal process by reducing the work effort. Also provides a more effective and efficient way to produce grants by interacting with the FIS and Payroll Personnel systems. Human Resource Management System is used to maintain and report on employees and nonemployees information including personal information, job, salary history and wages. Personnel Hiring System allows processing of applicants, job requisitions and hiring of an employee for a position. Establishes the parameters and controls of financial accounts used in the Financial Information System. Allows the University to manage space in compliance with Plant Accounting and Indirect Cost rules.

HRMS

PHS

Profile

Space

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FIS Account Inquiry

The application we will be discussing today is AISystem Account Inquiry. Account Inquiry allows you to view the financial details of an account.

AISystem Account Inquiry FIS ACCOUNT INQUIRY

BALANCE

ACCOUNT INQUIRY

TRANSACTION

PROFILE

Before a person can view any information in Account Inquiry, the account must be created with a Profile transaction.

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Profile Information
A profile document is used to establish and maintain an account. In creating an account, parameters are established to define or control the account. These parameters then allow a department to enter information against that particular account.
PROFILE INFORMATION

LC - DEPT - BUOB - FUND

ACCOUNT PROFILE DOCUMENT

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Account Structure
In order to maintain the integrity of various funding sources, a series of numbers is used to systematically classify accounts into an identifiable and logical order. These numbers are referred to as account numbers. An account number is a six (6) to twelve (12) digit number comprised of the ledger, class, department number and in some cases a fund number.

There are several components that help identify an account. Listed below are the terms associated with the account structure and an explanation for each.

Field Name Ledger

Description The first digit represents the ledger type or the type of fund you are dealing with. For example, an unrestricted account versus restricted account or an endowment fund versus a plant fund. (A list of Ledger codes is found in Appendix E.)

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Field Name Class

Description The second digit is the class number. The class number identifies the type of activity for which the account is used. For example, an expense account versus an income account. (A list of class codes is found in Appendix E.)
A 6-digit number that identifies the department or cost center.

Department Number

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Field Name Budget (Sub Class)

Description These 2-digits identify the general classification of items. There are separate budget for Income and Expense accounts. For example, in an income account, budget 35 is Restricted Gifts. If the account is an expense, the same budget is used for Other Expenses.

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Field Name Object

Description These 2-digits identify information at a detail object level such as specific types of supplies or certain types of services. The use of the object codes offers departments a greater level of detail in order to better track departmental expenses such as office supplies or copy charges. NOTE: A detail list of the budgets/objects can be found in Help/Information in FIS or at System and Procedures website @ http://fishelp.wustl.edu.

SR Codes

This special reporting (SR) code is a 2-digit, alpha or numeric code, used in conjunction with a documents budget category or budget/object code. An SR code allows the departments to further classify or identify a specific expense.

Note: SR codes are used solely at the discretion of the department to identify or classify specific expenses and departments must maintain their own listing.

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Field Name Fund

Description A fund number is a 5 or 6-digit number and is a self-balancing separate entity with its own set of accounts (income, expense, assets, liabilities) as well as fund balance. A fund provider may limit or restrict how, when and for what the funds may be used.
Occasionally, a fund number may contain an alpha character as the last digit of the fund number. This last character, if applicable, further identifies or classifies the fund. The use of an alpha character as part of the fund number must be coordinated with the appropriate central area. (A description of fund codes is found in Appendix F.)

Fund Types The first digit of the fund represents the general fund type. For example, government grants or contracts may begin with a 5 and endowment funds will generally begin with 1 or 2. There are two special types of funds that need additional discussion. Sub-department funds are used to do additional internal tracking within your department. The 2 types of sub-department funds are Zero and 9 funds.

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Field Name

Description Zero Funds:

Sub-department funds, or Zero (0) funds, are used on ledger classes 11 and 12 only. These funds allow departments to further classify or identify their accounts into sub-departments. The use of these funds provides departments with a greater level of detail in tracking transactions. This type of fund is optional and used solely at the discretion of the department.

9 Funds:
Another sub-department fund is a 9 fund that can only be used on ledger classes 11 or 12. This type of fund allows a department to separate money by services within the department. This allows the department to track spending and revenues more closely. However, a central area department must first establish this fund for the department.

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FIS Account Structure

The diagram below demonstrates how each of the components discussed previously relates to each other.

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FIS Document Creation

The Financial Information on-line system allows departments to create documents and retrieves financial information through a PC connected to a mainframe. AISystem allows departments to create documents through a web-based application. Each day the General Ledger is updated from all activity generated from documents entered into either of these systems. Information from these documents is stored for later reporting purposes in the balance, transaction and account profile databases.

FIS DOCUMENT CREATION

BALANCE

DOCUMENT

DOCUMENTS

TRANSACTION

PROFILE

FIS

G/L UPDATE

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Balance Information
Each account within a department is awarded a dollar amount at the beginning of a fiscal year or by a grant year. This money must be allocated to the appropriate budget categories for the fiscal year. As transactions occur, Account Inquiry provides you with various information regarding the budget and balance of an account. Also provided is a Trans hyperlink that can be used to view the transactions that generated the current balances.
BALANCE INFORMATION
LC - DEPT - BUOB - FUND
CURRENT BUDGET
ACCOUNT PROFILE DOCUMENT

+
FREE BALANCE

LC - DEPT - BUOB - FUND

PURCHASE ORDER

E N C U M B R A N C E

OPEN ENCUMBRANCE

FREE BALANCE

CHECK

Listed below are the some of the terms associated with the balance and an explanation for each.

FIS Term Budget (Sub Class)

Description An authorization to incur expenditures up to an approved amount.

The amount of money that is available for expenditures in the budgeted year. Represents the original amount of the encumbrance.

Balance

Original Encumbrance

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E N C U M B R A N C E

OPEN ENCUMBRANCE

YTD/GTD ACTUAL

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FIS Term Open Encumbrance Free Balance Carry Forward

Description Represents items and amounts that are open and still need to be paid or monies distributed.
The same as balance. Represents budget money carried forward from the previous fiscal year that is available for spending this year. Refers to the fiscal year-to-date expenditures. Refers to the total grant-to-date expenditures and may include other fiscal year expenditures.

YTD Actual

GTD Actual

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Budget Grouping
Budget Grouping is an option that allows for 2 or more budget categories to be designated as a unit or group by the department. Although each budget category is awarded an original dollar amount, the grouped budget categories may share funds in an effort to maintain a positive balance. For example, budgets 34, 35 and 36 may be grouped. If an expense document were created in budget 34 that would cause an overdraft, the funds from other budgets in the group would be disbursed to cover the transaction.
BUDGET GROUPING
BUDGET OBJECT 2901 Health Allowance CURRENT BUDGET BALANCE

1000.00

1000.00

2902 Other Allowance GROUP 1 34 Consumable

800.00

800.00

100.00

-50.00

35 Other Expense
200.00
200.00

36 Travel

250.00

250.00

TOTAL GROUP 1

400.00

Grouping is a departmental option. Departments can create up to a maximum of 9 groups per account. There are two rules concerning grouping: The following budgets are prohibited from being grouped: 18, 19, 50, 53, 60, 81, 82, 83, 86, 91, 92, and 93. If any existing groups are in overdraft, the department may not create a new grouping until the overdraft is resolved or the department contacts the appropriate Profile Office to create the groupings when overdrafts exist.

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Transaction Information
After a document has completed FIS system processing, it becomes a transaction. The Transaction List allows you to view the details that affect the account balance.

Purchase Order Corporate Express 4/10/04 1. XXXXX 12-1058-3575

Listed below are some of the terms associated with transactions and an explanation of some of the fields on the first page. All fields will be defined in the Transaction chapter.

Field Name SC (Sub Class) T Obj

Description The Budget the expense is against.

The object code the transaction is against. A 2-digit code that identifies the type of document that created the transaction. (A list of the transaction codes can be found in Appendix A.) A detailed snapshot that identifies an expense or income activity within an account. Identifies the transaction.

TC

Transaction

Description

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Field Name Orig Date Document Num

Description Date shown on the document.

A computerized method of initiating any transaction. This is a 5-digit numeric number followed by an alpha character or the document number assigned by the system when the document is printed by the system. This is a 5-digit numeric number followed by an alpha character. Document number assigned by the system when the document is printed by the system. Date the document was batched for entry into the FIS accounting system.

X Ref

Encumb ID

Administration Date

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