V Al Benzschawel Gave a General System SFS Update

FINANCIAL MANAGERS MEETING SHARED FINANCIAL SYSTEM (SFS) MARCH 11, 2002

 Cathy Holmes thanked everyone for coming, and introduced the agenda for the meeting.

 Al Benzschawel gave a general System SFS update.

 Al reported that UW-System has been working on implementing the Payroll Interface by July 1st of 2002. Ernie Mergen is heading this effort, and Al noted that he is definitely aware of, and considering, the needs of the Madison campus. Al also noted that the System Payroll Interface team are researching and preparing back-up plans in case they have difficulty pursuing their current direction in regards to the Payroll Interface.

 Al stated that Accounting Services has been in the process of bringing in a Team Leader for the SFS Implementation Project. Accounting Services’ announced and advertised the Project Team Leader through the usual channels, and ended up interviewing 11 candidates by phone, three of which were brought in for face- to-face interviews. Al reported that he hopes to announce that the position has been filled by the end of the week, and to have the person in place by April 1st.

 Cathy Holmes gave a presentation of the screens for the Salary Encumbrance system.

 Cathy introduced the presentation by giving a high-level background to UW- System’s Payroll Interface project. She explained that the goal of the Payroll Interface is to create a subsidiary ledger (the Salary Fringe Detail file), which will capture payroll detail, while the summary will post to the SFS GL. Payroll will interface through SFD to the SFS. Encumbrances will have to be liquidated in the SFD, since you will no longer be able to get to them through legacy. Salary Encumbrances will be entered through the Salary Encumbrance screens.

 Cathy offered the caveat that the Salary Encumbrance system is still in development, so the screens she was showing do not represent the finished product.

 Cathy presented a list of functions that will be available at the startup of the system: . Bulk load from external files . Web maintenance application . Authorization in place . Automatic summarization and posting to SFS GL . Drilldown links to detail in WISDM . Automatic payroll liquidations . Business Unit choice to use . Requires an appointment in IADS . Provides files to external systems o PAR o Legacy Payroll

Fmmin 03/11/02 1  Cathy noted that a copy of the screens, as well as other related materials, are available in a PowerPoint on the UW-System SFS web site. The URL for the page where this presentation can be found is: http://www.uwsa.edu/fadmin/sfs/payrol.htm. The presentation where the screens are shown can be accessed by clicking the last link on the body of the page, which reads “January 28, 2002 Core Team Encumbrance Demo”.

 Pennie Maclean asked about how Summer Session encumbrances would be handled. Cathy responded that these will be entered through EPRQ and that they will then interface through the SFD.

 Cathy Holmes gave a general Project update.

 Cathy presented a list of major project goals for 2002:  Transition reporting needs to SFS  Eliminate Mainframe Processes . INQM . INQC . INQV . GENT . Accounting Control Ledgers . FMR Reports . Data Retrievals and other hardcopy reports  Data Warehouse Replacement for views  UW-UA_ACTRAN  UW-UA_ACTRAN_Budgets  UW-UA_CASH_BAL133_144  UW-UA_FMR_BUDGETS  UW-UA_FMR_ENC_EXP  UW-UA_FMR_RECEIPTS  UW-UA_PRIOR_YR_CASH  ESIS_AWARD_FMR  Complete critical WISDM enhancements  Implement access to new SFS data using views to simply usage  Payroll Star  Project Star  Improve the timing and availability of data on the Shared Financial System (streamline the process to eliminate the one-day delay)  Provide training and support  Establish new on-going procedures  Participate with the new Payroll Interface project  Payroll encumbrance and expenditure information no longer on mainframe  Support critical Project/Grant processes  Eliminate reports that use mainframe payroll encumbrance or expenditure data

 Ruth Fruehling presented a document detailing options for replacing the requisition section of the Accounting Control Ledgers. Ruth affirmed that as the Implementation Project has progressed, the thinking of the implementation team

Fmmin 03/11/02 2 has changed to where the team is no longer planning on making the third part of the ledgers available. . Ruth identified the following replacement options:  In WISDM, drilling down from an encumbrance amount in a summary report.  This option can be used to check open balances. You can click on any open balance amount and see the detail behind it.  In WISDM, using the ‘Journal Search.’  In the ‘Journal Search’ enter a PO or req number, or in the case of a Purchasing Card, ‘PR-______’ (the blank indicates the first six letters of the card holder’s name), in order to get encumbrance amounts, reductions, payments, etc. Using this option will give you both sides of the transaction.  The legacy requisition data view.  This option is done from BrioQuery, using a query written by Maggie Roth. Since this query draws from the legacy system it won’t work starting with FY2003. Ruth also pointed out that using this data view will require translation from the legacy class codes to the SFS account numbers. The report returned by this data view looks very similar to the 3rd part of the ledgers, however, which some users may appreciate.  Ruth stated that she plans on making the legacy requisition data view available from the SFS Project web site.  Ruth Fruehling spoke about new data view plans. . Ruth apologized on behalf of the implementation team that making SFS data views available has taken so long. Ruth reported that this is largely a result of resource limitations at DoIT. Ruth also explained that DoIT’s new Infomatica product, which was supposed to be used to create these data views, has not worked very well, and has produced data views who’s data is not very reliable. In fact, Ruth expressed the intention of removing those SFS data views that are already in production. . Ruth explained that instead of the direction the team has been pursuing up until now, the team now intends to produce queries that will go directly against WISDM tables. The project team will work on setting up the query specs. Ruth noted that pursuing this direction will provide the following advantages:  Up-to-date  Eliminates reconciliation  Combines budgets, expenses, encumbrances and revenue into a single view  More history  Can use familiar tools, such as BrioQuery, access, MSQuery, etc . Ruth stated that the following data views are currently being planned:  ACTRAN  FMR  Prior_yr_cash  Cash_bal133_144 . Ruth noted that the FN_ACTRAN view is basically done, but that she is still verifying the data it returns. Ruth stated that she plans on doing a demo of

Fmmin 03/11/02 3 the FN_ACTRAN view for the System Data Access team meeting on March 18th. Ruth felt that the FN_FMR view would be done soon. . Ruth stated that in addition to the SFS data views, the team is looking at querying against the Payroll star to get salary information, and against the Project star to get project data. . Ruth said that once she had compiled the materials together, she would be placing documentation out onto the SFS project web site.  Sandy Jaeckel gave an update on training efforts by the SFS project team. . Sandy noted that the team has set up special WISDM training sessions with two campus divisions within the next two months, and are working with two other divisions to set up similar sessions. Sandy asked that if any other divisions are interested in scheduling special training, they get in touch with her. . Sandy announced that the Project team would be suspending its training program for the months of July and August, due to the expected workload associated with the SFS implementation. Sandy stated that the team would resume its usual schedule of twice-monthly training in September. . Sandy introduced new training materials in development by the SFS Project team.  ‘How to’ guide, showing how to do common research tasks in WISDM.  Comparison reports, showing how data in WISDM compares to the ACLS. . Sandy announced that a new Project/Grants reporting tree is nearly done. Sandy stated that this new tree mirrors RSP’s reporting format. Sandy said that she will post an announcement on the WISDM announcement page and on the Project website when the new tree is in production. . Sandy reported on RSP’s development of a link from their web site to WISDM. Sandy noted that if you are in a Project/Grant panel on the RSP website, you can now click on a red button at the bottom of the page, and if you are already logged into WISDM you will jump directly to the WISDM summary for that project/grant. If you are not logged in, you will go to the WISDM login page first, but then you will jump to the project/grant summary. . Sandy also noted that you could add a WISDM summary page to your bookmark or favorites list within your browser. Sandy cautioned that this does not work on the criteria screen, but that instead you must bookmark on a summary page.  Gareth Green gave an update on WISDM usage statistics. Gareth explained that WISDM now gives the team the ability to track whether individuals are using their WISDM logins or not. Gareth stated that he has been compiling lists of WISDM users by division and sharing them with DBRs who have expressed an interest in seeing this information. Gareth said that he would be happy to provide this information to any division which requests it. Gareth noted that compiling this information is still quite a manual process, but that he will be working with the team in the hopes of making it more automatic, and that eventually he hopes to make regular reports available.  Jim Hellenbrand gave an update on roll-forward budgets. . Jim stated that all these budgets should now have been loaded into the SFS. Jim noted that each division would want their staff to verify these budgets. . Jim reported that the process of loading these budgets should happen much more smoothly in the next fiscal year, since the programs developed for this process are now in place. Jim stated that he does not expect the delay

Fmmin 03/11/02 4 before the budgets are available to last much longer than a couple of weeks after the close of the fiscal year 02 books at the end of July.  Cathy Holmes and Jim Hellenbrand reported on the reduction of legacy class codes. . Cathy stated that the team was trying to reduce the number of legacy class codes so that UW-Madison has a one to one correspondence between legacy and SFS coding. The intention with this is to help make the transition between legacy and the SFS simpler. . Jim reported that he had worked with various areas of campus (RSP, Purchasing, etc.) in order to analyze their current usage of the codes. Jim has also collected the requested new SFS account codes. . Cathy stated that the Project team would be meeting with UW-System later this week to formally request the new account codes. . Cathy noted that the team would be working on making the code descriptions read the same in both systems. . Jim announced that he hopes to be able to issue new crosswalks, reflecting the new account numbers, by the end of the month. Once they are finished, the Project team will make them available on their web site.  Cathy Holmes reported on the issue of changing to the actual (calendar) End of Month. . Cathy noted that the Payroll Interface will be using the calendar end of month, and that eventually Madison will have to convert to using the calendar end of month as well. The SFS Project team has been analyzing the timing of this conversion, and has concluded that the transition can be done at some point during FY 03, probably during sometime in the fall.  Cathy Holmes asked for any other issues that people would like addressed.  Cathy noted that the Project team would be making the PowerPoint used in the meeting available on the Project web site.  Cathy mentioned that the College of Engineering recently held a discussion amongst its staff regarding WISDM usage. COE was pleased to report that their faculty are getting excited about the transition to WISDM reporting.  Ruth Fruehling raised the issue of the three data views already in production that are coming off of the WISDM database. Ruth restated that the data in these views is of questionable value, and asked if anyone has a strong objection to removing these WISDM data views from production. Ruth suggested that anyone who did have objections to the removal of these data views talk to her after the meeting or send her an e-mail.  The concern was raised that, as we near the implementation date, the increase in usage will overload the WISDM system. Cathy responded that DoIT has done a lot of testing and research, and that they are confident the system can handle the increased demand. However, Cathy stressed that they best way to determine whether this is true or not is to actually get as many people as possible logged on and using the system.  Ruth stated that response times for the WISDM system seem to be faster for those using Internet Explorer than for those using Netscape. Karen LaMere noted that she has had trouble in the past using the PDF option in Internet Explorer, but that Netscape has worked fine. Sandy added that there have been some problems for people using Macs with their ability to drill down into the summary data. Sandy stated that people experiencing this problem would want to discuss it with their internal tech people.

Fmmin 03/11/02 5  Ruth stressed that while functional questions regarding WISDM can be directed to the SFS mailbox (mailto:[email protected]), technical questions should be referred to the DoIT help desk.  The question was asked when the subscription reports for Project/Grants will be ready, and whether a prototype was available for review. Sandy responded that the reports would be available by the end of April, and that prototypes for all the subscription reports are available on the SFS project web site. List of Attendees

Margaret Hoffman Risk Management

Diane Barrett RSP

Mark Sweet RSP/Grad School

Donna Ford OBPA

Cathy Starkey Bursar

Denise Berge Bursar

Jeanne Schiro Accounting Services

Virginia Brown Accounting Services

Cindy Blewett Medical School

June Ganser UCSA

Renee Celley U Communications

Karen LaMere Chancellor/Provost

Kris DeArmond International Studies

Cheryl Woodards International Studies

Greg Frawley OBPA

Ron Amerson OBPA

Jan Behn UW Libraries

Donna Halleran FP&M

Betsy Beckett WVDL

Jerry Lange Internal Audit

Al Benzschawel Accounting Services

Jim Johnson Wisconsin Union

Gladys Novak Housing

Fmmin 03/11/02 6 Paula Romeo Accounting Services

Diane Mann DoIT

Jan Richardson Accounting Services

James Sterk WSLH

Colleen Cummins School of Nursing

Bob Mougin School of Nursing

Tim Norris OBPA

Diane Fitzgerald DCS

Sandy Baumel CALS

Paul Jelle CALS

Mary E. Dodd L&S

Maggie Roth L&S

Dave Diericks Accounting Services

Dennis Manthey Engineering

Betty Gordon Engineering

Jenny Bergemann-Hantz Engineering

Linda Foley UW Police

Lynn Paulson Law School

Eileen Hanneman IES

Jim Knickmeyer Grad School

Steve Schwoegler Grad School

Mark Schmidt DoIT

David Rieves Athletics

Terry Virlee Recreational Sports

Kathy Peterson DCS

Jenny Hergenrother School of Pharmacy

Karen Steinle School of Pharmacy

Philena Olson Vet Medicine

Jo Beth Dudley Vet Medicine

Fmmin 03/11/02 7 Beth Walsh School of Education

Rose Budig School of Education

Don Miner Business Services

Cathy Holmes DoIT

Ruth Fruehling Accounting Services

Jim Hellenbrand Accounting Services

Sandy Jaeckel Accounting Services

Gareth Green Accounting Services

Fmmin 03/11/02 8