Flexfield
Purpose:
The Flexfield chartfield is an optional value for departmental use designed to track information not captured by
other chartfields. Before creating a flexfield, a department should determine whether or not it is possible to track
the activity using the other chartfields, or combinations of chartfields, in the new COA such as account, fund,
department, project, activity period or function.
Use:
Flexfields may be entered into a journal line just like any other chartfield – either by the preparer, from a
subsystem, or by journal upload. Flexfield values, like all other chartfield values, must exist in PeopleSoft prior to
being used in a transaction. Flexfield values are validated during the journal edit process. Flexfields are not a
required chartfield; therefore, combination edits will not be used with flexfields.
Administration:
Flexfields can be requested by a department and must be approved by their Control Point. Requests should
specify desired value which will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. The Controller’s Office will review
the request to ensure it does not conflict with the purpose of another chartfield and will have final approval of all
values. Flexfields are recommended to be set up only when the total yearly transactions to be tracked are
expected to be greater than $25,000. Flexfields that have no activity for one complete fiscal year may be
inactivated. The Flexfield value may then be recycled.
The maximum length of a flexfield is 6 characters and values can be alphanumeric. Flexfields that will be used
with the Medical Center business unit must start with a zero. Flexfields that will be used with business units other
than the Medical Center must not start with a zero.
Year-end Processing:
Flexfield year-end processing rules differ by business unit, specifically:
• SFCMP and SFFDN Business Units (Set ID = UCSF)
Income statement flexfield balances will not roll forward into the next year.
• SFMED Business Unit (Set ID = SFMED)
Balances in chartfield strings that include a flexfield value roll forward at fiscal year-end. Therefore,
flexfield will have an opening balance at the beginning of each fiscal year. To accomplish this, a yearend process will close revenue and expense activity into the flexfield’s equity account.
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Attributes:
Field Name
Set ID
Type
AN
Effective Date
Date
Effective Status
AN
Description
Short Description
Requestor ID
Request Description
Approved/Denied
AN
AN
AN
AN
AN
Approver ID
AN
Length Description
5
See Set ID description in Account chartfield attribute.
Business unit SFMED will use Flexfields in the Set ID
SFMED. Business units SFCMP and SFFDN will use
Flexfields in the Set ID UCSF.
The date that the attributes and definitions associated
to a flexfield go into effect.
1
Flexfield status as of Effective Date:
• A = Active
• I = Inactive
30
30 character freeform description
10
10 character freeform description
9
Employee ID of the person requesting the flexfield
50
Reason for requesting flexfield
1
Approval status:
1 = request for flexfield has been approved
2 = request for flexfield has been denied
9
Employee ID of the control point responsible for
approving or denying the request to set up the
flexfield
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