July 2014 Edition
AFISM is committed to providing a valuable knowledge base to the TTU employee infrastructure and our directive is to
meet the individual needs of all our customers. You may or may not have heard of the changes that have occurred and
new products that have been developed thus far in fiscal year 2014. Below you will find a highlight of the most recent
items and the business need for each. Each month, our newsletter ends with a “Quick-Tip” of some useful tools that you
may or may not be aware of.
This month’s newsletter contains information about a rebuild recently completed on the FI009 Statement of Changes in
Fund Balance by Fund Report to make the report easier to use and to improve run time and performance of the report.
The “Spotlighting a Class” section this month covers “Banner Student – Banner Basics”. This class is specifically for those
who are working with the Student part of Banner and provides details about the pre-requisites to the class and the
access that is granted following completion of the class.,
AFISM 2 KNOW - July 2014 Edition
Quick TIP – COGNOS
Have you ever used the ‘Select and Search Prompt’ prior to executing a report and wished you could enter multiple
choices more quickly?
This week’s Quick Tip reviews the ‘Select and Search Prompt’ located on the prompt page for various Cognos
Reports and demonstrates how to execute the prompt for multiple selections all at once. This prompt is useful
in defining selection criteria; especially when the user does not have a clear choice in mind. But what if a more
advanced user knows what they want and wants a quicker way to make their selection(s)?
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ePAF Reminders
Do you know …?
The Default Routing Queue allows you to save and update Routing Queue patterns for your ePAFs?
The Default Routing Queue allows you to define your preferred routing for each ePAF Approval Category (New Hire,
Termination, etc.). The Approvers/Levels you save as a Default Routing Queue will paste in the Routing Queue when
you start a new ePAF. The Approvers/Levels can be changed on the new ePAF as needed. You can also edit the Default
Routing Queue as needed.
Default Routing is specific to your User ID as well as each approval category. This means that you have the ability to
define and customize your own personal routing that only you can use, change, or delete.
Following are the instructions for creating and updating the Default Routing Queue (these instructions are stored in the
AFISM Knowledge Base in the “ePAF Topics and Tools” Category):
1. Click the Default Routing Queue link, which is found in your Originator Summary:
2. Select the ePAF Approval Category and click GO:
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3. The Mandatory Approval Levels will appear. Use the magnifying glass to add Names to the Routing Levels, then click
SAVE AND ADD NEW ROWS.
a. You can select additional Approval Levels, set the Required Action to FYI or Approve (The Required Action
cannot be Apply), and add approvers.
b. You can remove the additional Approval Levels by checking the Remove box and clicking SAVE AND ADD NEW
ROWS. You cannot remove a Mandatory Level.
c. If the Default Routing Queue will not let you make the desired changes, check to remove ALL levels and click
SAVE AND ADD NEW ROWS. Restart at step 2 and re-create the Default Routing Queue.
Spotlighting Classes
Banner Student – Banner Basics
This class is mandatory prior to gaining access to the Banner INB System to look up student information.
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This class includes the naming convention, term codes, name search and navigation techniques through the
Banner INB System.
This class is offered every week.
Prior to attending Banner Basics you will need to take the Online FERPA training.
This class does not include the Faculty/Advisor Tab in Raiderlink|WebRaider; a separate training is available for
Academic Advisors who require that access. Refer to the Banner Student – Intermediate Training.
You can register for this class by going to the SumTotal website:
http://rod.sumtotalsystems.com/ttu/app/management/LMS_LearnerHome.aspx?PersistMode=1
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AFISM Video Tutorials
You can find video tutorials on the AFISM website to help you with many different job tasks. These videos were created
to assist you as you complete various job duties. To access AFISM’s Video Tutorials, from the A&F Work Tools tab of
Raiderlink, click on the link: AFISM Training Checklist, Registration, Materials and Videos as highlighted below:
You are directed to the AFISM Training Page where you can choose to view the training videos. Select the “Training
Videos” link to see all categories or select a specific category for the window to open to:
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The AFISM Video Tutorial page, shown below, is designed so that each tab holds a different set of videos. For example,
you will find a tab for Banner HR, for TeamApp, for Banner Student, a Miscellaneous tab, and a Video Issues tab which
has information to assist you in the event that you are having problems using a video.
The screen shot below highlights the TeamApp tab. Within this tab, the videos available fall into one of four categories:
Budget Prep, Cognos Reports, Employee Personnel Action Form (ePAF), and Web Time Entry. All of the videos aid you in
using TeamApp to grant security permission to use these applications.
We encourage you to take a few minutes and discover what we have available within our Video Tutorial library to assist
you with your various job duties.
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New Report Added
HR143 – Web Time Entry (Leave Reporting) Approver Lookup. Search by Approver name or R# and see a list of those
who the Approver is responsible for with regard to Web Time Entry and Web Time Leave reporting.
Report Modifications
FI009 – Statement of Changes in Fund Balance by Fund – Modifications were made to the report to improve the overall
report performance. Also, prompts were modified to run the report for multiple funds.
FI137 – Open Encumbrance Report – A short cut was added for this report to allow access in the following location:
Public Folders > TTU Finance > Grant Reports.
FI106 – Valid FOP Report – A short cut was added for this report to allow access in the following location:
Public Folders > TTU Finance > Grant Reports.
FI026A – Advanced Op Ledger Transaction Report – A text prompt for Fund and Organization was added, eliminating
the use of the search and select prompt if only one Fund or one Organization is deisred..
Report of the Month
FI009 – Statement of Changes in Fund Balance by Fund
This report is designed to allow you to see the changes that have taken place for a designated period of time. The report
output provides the Beginning Fund Balance, Additions and Reductions, Ending Fund Balance, Reserves and the
Uncommitted Fund Balance. The report can be executed for a single fund, multiple funds or by the Fund Manager.
The parameter page is displayed on the following page.
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The required parameters are on the top of the page and are marked with an asterisk. These are the Chart of Account,
Fiscal Year to Start the Report, Fiscal Year to End the Report and the Fiscal Period to End the Report. You can execute
this report to cross fiscal years.
The Optional Parameters allow you to determine how you will execute the report. If you need data for one specific
fund, simply search on that fund in the Fund Search box. You may enter a Fund Class which would display all Funds
within that class and then you move the desired funds into the Choice box. You may enter in more than one fund at a
time, spacing between each. If you execute for a Fund Manager the report will provide all funds managed by that
person.
The report output, shown on the following page, provides the details of activity for the period of time requested.
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The first line provides the Beginning Fund Balance. Then, any additions are listed. Additions can be categorized into
Revenues, Transfers in and Other Revenues. The Reductions sections follows and this can include Salary and Wages,
Payroll Related Costs, Operating, Travel, Capital, Transfers Out and Other Reductions. In both of these sections when
activity has taken place within a category, the link becomes active and you can drill to see the FOP details of those
revenues / expenses, with the ability to further drill down for transaction line details for the FOP.
Following the Additions and Reductions, the Ending Fund Balance is provided. The next section provides information
about the Reserves for the Fund – for Encumbrances - Capital, Operating, Personnel, Travel, and Reserve Inventories.
This is followed by Other Reserves. The Uncommitted Fund Balance is displayed on the final line of the report.
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Quick TIP – COGNOS
Cognos prompt feature – Select and Search Prompt
This week’s Quick Tip demonstrates the ‘Select and Search Prompt’ located on the prompt page for some
Cognos Reports, showing how to execute this prompt for multiple selections at once.
This prompt, shown on the following page, is useful in defining selection criteria especially when the user does not have
a clear selection in mind. But what if a more advanced user knows what they want and wants a quicker way to make
their selection(s)?
Making a single selection or selecting a partial entry
Single Selection
Making a single selection will return the only exact match as it was entered.
Partial Entry
Making a partial entry will return everything that starts with what was entered as shown with an entry of 21P.
This returns all funds that start with 21P.
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Multiple Entry
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A multiple entry allows the user to do a combination of single entries to return one data set. For example a user
could do three separate searches to return fund 16A085, 16A080 and funds that start with 21P – or – if the user
enters the selection with a space between them they can return all of this data at once. The entry into the box
would be entered as follows: 16A085 16A050 21P
This is shown in the following example
www.depts.ttu.edu/afism/ - 742-KNOW
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