How can I
access Banner Self Service?
Can I access
Self Service from Home?
Can I open
more than one session in Banner Self Service?
What are the
available hours for Banner Self Service?
What is the
difference between Native Banner and Self Service?
FOAPAL –
What does this stand for?
Can I see the
crosswalk of my FRS accounts to my Banner Indexes?
How can I
request an Activity Code?
What are the
different levels of access in Banner Self Service?
How do I know
what my fiscal year and fiscal period should be?
When will Cognos be available?
When will there be training available for Cognos?
How are the
budgets broken out within my Index?
How can I
view the information in my Index?
Who can make
budget transfers?
Can I make
budget transfers only between Account pools or also between Organization codes?
How do I
check the remaining budget in my Index?
How do I view
the remaining budget on specific Accounts in my Index?
How can I download my budget query to Excel?
How do I do
an on-line purchase requisition?
I am getting error messages when I do my requisition. What do they mean?
How do I use
the Lookup Function in the on-line purchase requisition?
How do I find
a vendor number?
What if my
vendor is not in Banner Self Service?
What if I can't find a commodity code?
What if I have an attachment to send with a Purchase Order?
How do I do a change order to my Purchase requisition?
How do I
create a purchase requisition template?
How do I
create an on-line standing purchase order?
How can I
view encumbrance information in my Index?
How do I
approve a purchase requisition?
How do I
track the progress of my requisition?
How do I find
my requisition number if I don’t know it?
How will we be notified what our Purchase Order number is?
How do I
check the remaining balance on Purchase Orders or other encumbrances?
How do I
determine whether a Vendor has been paid from a particular PO?
How do I
verify that a PO was charged to the right Index/Account?
How do I
clean up all the outstanding balances I have for my Index?
How do I know
if and when a vendor has been paid?
If an item
hasn’t been paid for, can I see when a check is scheduled to be cut?
How can I
find out what invoices were paid on a check?
How do I see
what has been paid to a particular vendor?
How do I see
detailed information on an invoice?
How do the
approvals work with the Accounts Payable forms?
How
can I access Banner Self Service?
Sign into Blackboard.
Find the Banner Training and Support section.
Click on “Self Service” under “Production”.
Click “Enter Secure Area” and then type in your unique User ID and
your PIN #.
If you have technical
questions pertaining to Self Service, including access, please contact the IRT
tech desk at x62630 or email at irthelp@stthomas.edu.
Can
I access Self Service from Home?
Yes. You only need an Internet connection and a browser (Internet
Explorer (version 5.5 or higher) is preferred and fully supported by UST).
Can
I open more than one session in Banner Self Service?
Yes.
You can have multiple sessions of Banner Self Service open.
What
are the available hours for Banner Self Service?
Self Service is available everyday, every hour except Monday-Friday 5am-midnight. Top
What
is the difference between Internet Native Banner and Self Service?
Internet Native Banner is an
application intended for heavy users and those doing more of the administrative
functions. Self Service is intended
for the light users and does not have all the complexity of Banner.
Specifically for Finance related functions, it allows users to create and
approve requisitions, query accounts for encumbrances, payments, and budget, as
well as make budget transfers.
FOAPAL
– What does this stand for?
(F)
Fund – Required – distinguishes between unrestricted and
restricted funds
(O)
Organization (Org) – Required – based on the organizational chart
(A)
Account – Required – used to specify the classification of
revenue and expenses
(P)
Program – Required – used for financial reporting purposes
(A)
Activity – Not required – used to track a particular activity
(L)
Location – Not required (unless purchasing capital equipment) –
defines the physical location at the UST
For more information on the
FOAPAL, review the FOAPAL
Quick Reference Sheet.
Index codes have been
established to help alleviate Banner users from having to remember all elements
of the FOAP when they create purchase requisitions or do other accounting
entries.
If you are using a restricted
fund, your Index code is the same as your Fund number.
When you enter your Index code, the Organization and Program will
automatically populate. If you want to use budgeted department funds (unrestricted
funds), your Index code is the same as your Organization number.
When you enter Index code, the Fund as well as the Program will populate.
In both cases, you will always need to populate the
Account field manually.
Can
I see the crosswalk of my FRS accounts to my Banner Indexes?
Crosswalks from FRS accounts
to Banner Indexes will be provided to Budget Managers.
Please contact the Controller’s Office
if you are a Budget Manager and have not yet received your crosswalk.
How
can I request an Activity Code?
If you would like an Activity
Code created in order to track a particular activity, contact the irthelp@stthomas.edu.
In your request, please provide the Requester’s name, Requester’s
Department, Requester’s extension. Please
also provide a description of the activity in detail and provide the Index(es)
for which the activity code will be utilized.
A capital asset is a tangible
piece of property with an estimated useful life over a year and costs over
$1,000. Examples include office
equipment, chairs, and tables. Please
note that for all purchases of capital assets, there must be a location code
assigned.
What
are the different levels of access in Banner Self Service?
If you are in the approval
queue for an index, you are either a delegate, budget manager, dean or associate
vice president, or vice president. Anyone
in the approval queue will have query access to the index.
In other words, they can do budget queries and encumbrance queries on the
index. The budget managers, deans,
associate vice presidents, or vice presidents will also be able to make budget
transfers.
For general departmental
indexes, all employees within that department will be able create purchase
requisitions for such indexes. Employees
that are not in the approval queue will not be able to query these indexes.
However, these employees will be able to view the documents they create
by utilizing the “View Documents” feature.
If you are not in the
approval queue for an index, you will not have query access unless the budget
manager specifically requests such access by contacting the irthelp@stthomas.edu.
In addition, if an employee needs to have requester access to an index,
the budget manager must also make such request by contacting the irthelp@stthomas.edu.
How
do I know what my fiscal year and fiscal period should be?
The University of St. Thomas
has a fiscal year that runs from July 1st through June 30th.
The “fiscal year” which Banner asks correlates with the year in which
our fiscal year ends. In other
words, fiscal year 2004 is the time period from July 1, 2003 – June 30, 2004.
The “fiscal period” which Banner asks correlates with the months of our fiscal year. Fiscal period 01 is the first month of our fiscal year, or July. When doing queries, if you want the full year, you should choose fiscal period 12, for June. Top
Cognos is the new database reporting tool that replaces FOCUS. It is different from FOCUS in that it is more a point-and-click environment. Top
When
will Cognos be available?
We are presently working on
modifying the finance database within Cognos so that more people can access the
information. It is our hope to have
the database accessible to the university in October 2003.
Top
When
will there be training available for Cognos?
This is still being
determined at this time. In the
meantime, remember that you can access much of the information through Finance
Self Service budget queries.
How
are the budgets broken out within my Index?
Revenue
and Compensation budgets are budgeted by the specific account code.
The expense budgets are budgeted by budget pools (710-Physical
Facilities, 720-Supplie Material, 730-Resale, 740- Professional Services &
Honorariums, 750-Travel & Moving Expenses, 760-Other General Expenses,
770-Internal Charges).
How
can I view the information in my Index?
Click on the Budget Queries
link from the Financial Information menu. Choose “Budget Status by Account” from the drop-down list
in the “Create a New Query Type” section and click the “Create Query”
box. Select the parameters for the
information you would like to retrieve and click “Continue”. (See Budget
Query Parameters
for more information.)
Enter the “Fiscal Year”. Choose
12 to get the full year of information, or choose one specific month (July = 1).
Enter T for the “Chart of Accounts” and enter your Index.
If you want to include revenue in your review, click the “Include
Revenue Accounts” box. Click “Submit
Query”. The Fund, Organization,
and Program information will populate.
Click “Submit Query” again.
For general information on
viewing an Index, please review the Finance Self
Service Quick Reference – Budget Queries and Step
by Step: Self Service Module Budget
Queries.
Choose the Budget Transfer
link from the Financial Information menu. Enter
the “Transaction Date” (this will default to the current date.)
Select the “Journal Type” BD4 (Temporary Budget Adjustment).
Enter the “Transfer Amount”. Enter
the Index and click “Complete”. The
Fund, Org and Program information will populate.
Enter the Account Pool and a
“Description”. Click “Complete”.
For general information on
making budget transfers, please review the Finance
Self Service Quick Reference – Budget Transfers and Step
by Step: Self Service Module Budget
Transfers.
Who
can make budget transfers?
The Budget Managers, Deans,
Associate Vice Presidents, and Vice Presidents of an Index can make budget
transfers. Delegates will not be
able to make budget transfers.
Can
I make budget transfers only between Account pools or also between Organization
codes?
Employees that are Budget
Managers of several Indexes can transfer budgets between them.
How
do I check the remaining budget in my Index?
Click on the Budget Queries
link from the Financial Information menu. Choose “Budget Query by Organizational Hierarchy” from
the drop-down list in the “Create a New Query Type” section and click the
“Create Query” box. Select the
parameters “Accounted Budget”, “Year to Date”, “Encumbrances”, and
“Available Balance”.
Enter the “Fiscal Year”.
Choose 12 to get the full year of information, or choose one specific
month (July = 1). Enter T for the
“Chart of Accounts” and enter your Index.
If you want to include revenue in your review, click the “Include
Revenue Accounts” box. Click “Submit
Query”. The Fund, Organization,
and Program information will populate.
Click “Submit Query” again.
How
do I view the remaining budget on specific Accounts in my Index?
Follow the steps laid out in the above question, “How do I check the remaining budget in my Index”. After you have entered your Index and clicked on “Submit Query”, enter your specific Account or Account Pool in the “Account” field. Click “Submit Query” again. Top
How
can I download my budget query to Excel?
At the bottom of your budget
query report, you will see two buttons: (1)
Download All Ledger Columns, and (2) Download Selected Ledger Columns.
You can click on either option to download the report into Excel.
By choosing the first option, all parameters of the report will download.
By choosing the second option, only the parameters you had chosen for
your report will download into Excel. You
will need to do some formatting in Excel.
How
do I do an on-line purchase requisition?
Click on the Requisition link
from the Financial Information menu.
For general information on
how to create an on-line purchase requisition, please review the Step
by Step: How to Create a Self
Service Requisition and Self
Service Quick Reference - Requisition.
Make sure you click the
complete button at the bottom of the requisition and receive an “R” number.
This will ensure that your requisition has been completed and forwarded
on to the approval process.
Please note:
do not hit “enter” while doing a requisition.
This will reset some of the information and most likely give you error
messages.
I
am getting error messages when I do my requisition.
What do they mean?
Please review the Requisition Errors Quick Reference document for help
deciphering your errors. Top
How
do I use the Lookup Function in the on-line purchase requisition?
For general information on
how to use the Lookup Function in Self Service, please review the Step
by Step: Searching on Requisition
Code Lookup.
How
do I find a vendor number?
At the bottom of the
Requisition page, there is an area named “Code Lookup”.
Choose “Vendor” from the “Type” drop-down list.
If you know part of the vendor number, enter it in the “Code Criteria”
field. Or, if you know the vendor
name, or part of the vendor name, enter it in the “Title Criteria” field.
The wildcard function (%) in
Banner Self Service allows you to enter part of the code criteria if you don’t
know the whole code or vendor name. Put
it in front of your partial entry if you don’t know the beginning of the code
or title. Put it at the end of your
partial entry if you don’t know the end of the code or title.
The wildcard can be put at both the beginning and end of your partial
entry. (Keep in mind that the
vendor names are generally the legal names – use the % to your advantage!)
After you enter your “Code
Criteria” or “Title Criteria” (don’t enter both), choose the maximum
number of lines you wish the lookup query to retrieve in the “Maximum Rows to
Return” field. Click on the “Execute
Query” button. The list of
vendors satisfying your criteria will be at the top of the page.
You can copy the correct
vendor number from this list and paste it in the “Vendor Number” space on
the Requisition.
For general information on
how to use the Lookup Function in Self Service, please review the Step
by Step: Searching on Requisition
Code Lookup.
What
if my vendor is not in Banner Self Service?
If you cannot find your
vendor in Self Service or if you have a new vendor, enter the vendor
information, including name, address and phone number in the “Document Text”
field of the requisition. Completing
a requisition without a vendor number will not give you an error message. Top
What
if I can’t find a commodity code?
You may not be able to find
an exact commodity code for your purchase.
Choose the closest commodity code and change the “Commodity
Description” field to more accurately reflect your purchase. If there is not a commodity code that is close to yours,
please contact Procurement Services to request a new code. Top
What
if I have an attachment to send with a Purchase Order?
If you have an attachment to
send with a Purchase Order, indicate that there is such attachment in the
“Document Text, No Print” section of the requisition.
Send the requisition to Procurement Services through intercampus
mail to AQU201. Please use the pink
“Requisition Attachment” form to label the attachment with the correct
information, including the requisition number that was issued by Finance Self
Service. These forms are available
from Procurement Services at Aquinas 201. Top
How
do I do a change order to my purchase requisition?
To do a change order, email Procurement Services at procurement@stthomas.edu with the requisition number and the information that needs to be changed. Keep in mind that any increase in dollar amount will have to go through the approval process, so another requisition will need to be created for the amount of the increase. Top
How
do I create a purchase requisition template?
Before “Completing” your
requisition, enter the name of your template in the “Save as Template”
field.
You don’t always have to
create a template when you are completing a requisition.
This is an option for you to utilize in situations when you may have
recurring requisitions.
For general information on
how to create a purchase requisition template in Self Service, please review the
Step by Step: How
to Create and Save Requisition Templates.
How
do I create an on-line standing purchase order?
Follow the instructions to
complete on on-line requisition as laid out above. In the “Document Text”, indicate that you would like the
purchase order to be a standing purchase order.
Include the time period for which the standing order will be needed.
How
can I view encumbrance information in my Index?
Click on the Encumbrance
Queries link from the Financial Information menu. Enter the Fiscal Year. Choose
12 for the “Fiscal Period” to get the full fiscal year of information, or
choose one specific month (July = 1). Enter T for the “Chart of Accounts” and enter your Index.
Click “Submit Query”. The
Fund, Organization, and Program information will populate.
Click “Submit Query” again.
For general information on
viewing encumbrance information for a specific Index, please review the Step
by Step: Self Service Module
Encumbrance Query.
Approval levels for purchase requisitions are set up as part of Banner Self Service. As a Budget Manager, you have the authority to approve requisitions for your Indexes via the web. In Banner Self Service, Budget Managers will have the capability to allow Delegates to approve these items up to $3,000. In addition, approval queues will be set up in Banner Self Service to capture certain purchases over other dollar limits. Top
How
do I approve a purchase requisition?
For general information on
how to approve a purchase requisition, review the Step
by Step: Self Service Approval
Queue.
How
do I track the progress of my requisition?
Click on the View Documents
link from the Financial Information menu. Choose “Requisitions” from the “Type” drop-down menu.
Enter the requisition number in the “Document Number” box.
Choose “Approval History” at the bottom of the page.
This will show if the requisition is still in the approval queue, waiting
for specific approvals. If the
document has been approved, it will say that no further approvals are needed and
show who approved the document. It
will also show if the requisition has been disapproved by showing “Deny” in
the approval history.
See the Step
by Step: Finance Self Service View
Document for more information.
How
do I find my requisition number if I don’t know it?
Click on the View Documents
link from the Financial Information menu. Choose “Requisitions” from the “Type” drop-down menu.
Since you do not know the document number, click the “Document Number”
box. This will bring up a lookup
screen. Populate at least one of
the fields with the * (your user name will automatically be entered) and then
click “Execute Query”. This
will bring up a list of requisitions you have created.
See the Step
by Step: Finance Self Service View
Document for more information.
The best place to print a
requisition is by choosing the View Documents link from the Financial
Information menu. . Choose “Requisitions”
from the “Type” drop-down menu.
Enter your requisition number in the “Document Number” field and
click on “View Document” at the bottom of the page.
Your requisition will come up for you to print to your printer.
How
will we be notified what our Purchase Order number is?
To find your Purchase Order
numbers, you will have to perform a Budget Query.
Display the “Reservations” column on the Budget Status by Account
query. Select 2004 for the fiscal
year, enter “T” for the chart of accounts, and enter your index.
Click on “Submit Query” twice. Click
on the underlined value in the Reservations column for the appropriate account
to see the requisitions that have been created.
The documents listed will include both Requisition numbers and Purchase
Order numbers. Top
How
do I check the remaining balance on Purchase Orders or other encumbrances?
Click on the Encumbrance
Queries link from the Financial Information menu. Enter the Fiscal Year. Choose
12 for the “Fiscal Period” to get the full fiscal year of information, or
choose one specific month (July = 1). Enter T for the “Chart of Accounts” and enter your Index.
Click “Submit Query”. The
Fund, Organization, and Program information will populate.
Click “Submit Query” again.
The “Encumbrance
Liquidation” column indicates what has been paid against the encumbrance.
The “Current Commitments” column indicates the balance on the
encumbrance.
How
do I determine whether a Vendor has been paid from a particular PO?
Click on the Budget Queries
link from the Financial Information menu. Choose “Budget Status by Account” from the drop-down list
in the “Create a New Query Type” section and click the “Create Query”
box. Select the parameters,
including “Year to Date” and “Encumbrances”, for the information you
would like to retrieve and click “Continue”.
Enter the “Fiscal Year”.
Choose 12 to get the full year of information, or choose one specific
month (July = 1). Enter T for the
“Chart of Accounts” and enter your Index.
Click “Submit Query”. The
Fund, Organization, and Program information will populate.
Click “Submit Query” again.
In the “Encumbrances”
column, you can click on the dollar amount to drill down to more detailed
information. This will list out all
the Purchase Orders. Click on the
Purchase Order for more information. This
screen will show you a “Related Documents” box towards the bottom of the
screen. If the item has been paid,
it will give you the check information. If
not, you can click on the “Invoice Document Code” in the “Related
Documents” box and this will bring up detailed information on the invoice that
is attached to the PO. This will
give you the payment due date.
How
do I verify that a PO was charged to the right Index/Account?
Click on the View Documents
link from the Financial Information menu. Choose “Requisitions” from the “Type” drop-down menu
and enter your “Document Number”. Click
on “View Document”. The
requisition information will be shown and the accounting information will appear
at the bottom of the page.
How
do I clean up all the outstanding balances I have for my Index?
If you would like to close a
PO that has a balance left, please notify Procurement
Services.
How
do I know if and when a vendor has been paid?
Click on the Budget Queries
link from the Financial Information menu. Choose “Budget Status by Account” from the drop-down list
in the “Create a New Query Type” section and click the “Create Query”
box. Select the parameters,
including “Year to Date”, for the information you would like to retrieve and
click “Continue”.
Enter the “Fiscal Year”.
Choose 12 to get the full year of information, or choose one specific
month (July = 1). Enter T for the
“Chart of Accounts” and enter your Index.
Click “Submit Query”. The
Fund, Organization, and Program information will populate.
Click “Submit Query” again.
In the “Year to Date”
column, click on the item for which you would like more information.
Towards the bottom of the screen, you may see a “Related Documents”
box. If so, it could contain check
information or Purchase Order information.
You have the option of clicking on the PO # and seeing additional
information on that particular PO. If
you do not see check information, click on the “System Invoice Number”
towards the top of the screen to get detailed information on the invoice.
This will show you the payment due date and detailed information of the
invoice.
If
an item hasn’t been paid for, can I see when a check is scheduled to be cut?
See above explanation.
How
can I find out what invoices were paid on a check?
There is no way to gather
this information using Banner Self Service.
Please contact Accounts
Payable
requesting this information.
How
do I see what has been paid to a particular vendor?
There is no way to gather
this information using Banner Self Service.
Please contact Accounts
Payable
requesting this information.
How
do I see detailed information on an invoice?
Click on the Budget Queries
link from the Financial Information menu. Choose “Budget Status by Account” from the drop-down list
in the “Create a New Query Type” section and click the “Create Query”
box. Select the parameters,
including “Year to Date”, for the information you would like to retrieve and
click “Continue”.
Enter the “Fiscal Year”.
Choose 12 to get the full year of information, or choose one specific
month (July = 1). Enter T for the
“Chart of Accounts” and enter your Index.
Click “Submit Query”. The
Fund, Organization, and Program information will populate.
Click “Submit Query” again.
In the “Year to Date”
column, click on the item for which you would like more information.
Drill down until you see the detailed invoice information.
Employees will use the same
process as they use now for Accounts Payable forms.
The only thing that will change is the accounting information.
Make sure you reference your Index and Account Number on any of the forms
and send them directly to Accounts Payable, AQU204, for processing.
How
do the approvals work with the Accounts Payable forms?
The Budget Managers received
approval forms requesting the signatures of who will have the authority to sign
off on invoices, Independent Contractor Forms, or Check Requests for processing.
Therefore, the approvals for these Accounts Payable forms mirror that of
the on-line purchase requisitions, except that these approvals will be done on
paper rather than through Banner queues.
In the case of Employee
Expense Reports, Prepaid Expense Requests, and Cash Advance Requests, a
supervisor’s signature is still required.
Please see the Employee
Reimbursement Program for more information.