This past April, representatives from departments that use the FI$Cal system participated in our Imagine FI$Cal workshops to generate ideas on how FI$Cal could improve on our training, customer service, and system performance. The FI$Cal Circuit Report concept, an idea that came out of the training workshop, envisioned FI$Cal sending out a regular email report to end users with information about common questions and issues, as well as the FI$Cal answer and resolution.
In response to that concept we will be posting FI$Facts to our newsletter blog on a regular basis as well as sending a link to the FI$Facts in our monthly newsletter email as they posted. FI$Facts will consist of commonly asked questions from our end users.
Below are our FI$Facts for August.
Month-End Close/Year-End Close
Question: Do I need to post all allocation journals before closing the period?
Answer: Accounting periods can be closed only when there are no outstanding transactions in the ZZ_MEC_Outstanding_Transactions Query. Any allocation journals in the ALLC_ENC/EXP Ledgers are not reported as outstanding in this query if the journals are not posted. However, allocation journals in MODACCRL ledgers are reported as outstanding in this query.
While allocation journals created in MODACCRL Ledgers are required to post before closing the period, the allocation journals created in ALLC_ENC/EXP are not. However, we recommend that you post all allocation journals to prevent the allocation journals from being deleted by accident, especially when the allocation time span of the Basis is either Inception to Date or Year to Date and the basis data is pointing to the ALLC Ledger.
Question: I haven’t created any payments. Can I delete the deposited shell?
Answer: The deposit shell can be deleted only if the cash clearing accounting entries have not been created.
Question: Should the Budget Date (Period) always fall in same Enactment Year (ENY)?
Answer: The Budget Date (Period) should be the same as the ENY with the following exception:
- In a department’s first year in FI$Cal, their Prior Year ENY and Prior Prior Year ENY will use the same Prior Year Budget Date (Period). In the subsequent year, each ENY will have its own Budget Date (Period).
For continuing and continuous appropriation, the ENY never changes, but it could have multiple Budget Dates (Periods). The Budget Dates (Periods) depend on when the expenditure is recognized.
Accounts Payable
Question: The voucher that we create correctly in FI$Cal posts to an incorrect program on the State Controller’s Office (SCO) Tab Run. How do we correct this?
Answer: Since the voucher has been paid by SCO, your department can correct SCO records by submitting a paper transaction letter (form CA 504). In order to prevent the same issue in the future, open a ticket with the FI$Cal Service Center and ask for the crosswalk table to be reviewed and updated if it is incorrect.
Question: While creating a Journal Voucher to replenish the Office Revolving Fund (ORF) for Expense Advance, why does the ORF Replenishment checkbox not populate upon saving the voucher?
Answer: The Related Voucher ID on the Journal Voucher must be a voucher that is marked as an ORF Advance. The ORF Advance voucher must be paid, and not in closed status in order to be replenished. In addition, the distribution line on the Journal Voucher must not contain a negative amount on expenditure accounts. Otherwise, the Journal Voucher is not considered as an ORF Replenishment voucher.