Q: Do I need to budget for flex fields?
A: For budgetary control, you do not need to have a budget in a Flex field but in other fields you do. Since campus wants to budget by flex fields, you need to put budget into flex fields so that you do not have a problem with deficits at year-end. You don’t have to have it set up in July but at some point, you have to transfer from default into the flex field. You need a fully qualified COA combination even if they are default codes. Don’t wait until the end of the year to allocate funding because we need to be able to do deficit analysis. For Flex2 fields, if you wait until the end of the year, faculty won’t have an accurate report throughout the year.
Q: I just went into Oracle to attempt to create my first PO and realized that none of the activity codes we established several weeks ago were approved. They’re all still “in flight.” What do I do?
A: Your activity requests need to be approved first by your ORG approver. Then they will go to FP&A for secondary approval. Please check with your approver if your request is still In Flight. If your approver is unable to see them in Oracle COA Management, then it is likely that the requests were submitted prior to your approver being assigned their respective role. In that case, you would need to recall the requests and submit them again.
Q: What do I do if my department is missing in Flex1?
A: When you initiate your request in COA Management, you can add the department (example: D012880000) as a child value to the Org (example: Org1400000), and then create the child Flex1 values below that new department node. Be sure to click the New Request button before trying to select the ‘Add Child’ or ‘Add Sibling’ options.
Q: Has FP&A established Org Approver (CFAO-level) roles in EACS for the Deployment of Oracle COA Management?
A: Yes, the org approver level is set up in EACS, but only FP&A can assign that role.
Q: Can you please double check I’m listed as Org approver for my ORG? I didn’t receive a notification for a recent request.
A: Approvers should check the ‘Requests for my approval’ on the Home screen. This option is on the Activity tab in the left panel under where the name shows. If the approver does not see the pending request there, then either:
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There are no pending requests.
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They are not set up as an approver for that org and chart segment (Activity, Flex1).
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They were set up as an approver after the request was submitted. If this is the case, then the requestor should recall the request and re-submit it after the approver is set up in the system.
EACS can also be checked to confirm approver and requestor setups.
Q: What function should I use for my transactions?
A: The conversion of budget data included a function clean-up. The administrative functions in Colleges/Schools used to be function 40, but it should be function 43 for example. Please run the Activity Summary in Oracle Budget to see the correct function to use for your transactions.
Q: Are Perm budgets in Oracle Budget?
A: Perm budgets as of 5/31 converted to Oracle Budget, but the balances associated with those funds were not. So if you did not have PERM budget in a certain activity that is an appropriate combination of values, the current workaround is to do a Temp Adjustment moving $1 from BC75 to another BC to process transactions (like a Zero$ BEA). But note this should only be done if the COA combination is a valid and appropriate one where budget is expected. Final 6/30 Perm Budgets will be loaded by 7/24 and Final Rollover (CFD) Balances will be loaded in mid-August.
Q: Can funds be moved by a CFAO without approval?
A: Yes. Using Budget Execution to move budget does not require any system approvals.
Q: Can a Budget Request be created and approved by the same person?
A: Budget Requests require approvals in the system. However, a person with CFAO or CBO access can create a request and approve it themselves.
Q: For a CFAO Budget Request approval, does it need to be done by a CFAO or might it have another designated approver?
A: If you have the CFAO (power user access) you can approve requests whether you are the true CFAO or not.
Q: How do I request new Flex2 values?
A: To request new Flex2 values for graduate students or other academic employees outside of the ladder-rank faculty titles codes (i.e. Emeriti or researchers) email the request to your CFAO including the following information:
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First and last name
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NetID
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Employee ID (orther academics) or Student ID (graduate students)
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Non-C&G fund sources that require reporting with the Flex2 value
Flex 2 is updated by the Central Budget Office once a month with payroll data for the title codes in the attached file (or below screenshot). 