GL Chartfields & WhoKeys application GLDSS User Memo

July 12, 2016

Subject: New Request for GL Chartfields & WhoKeys application and impacted Universal Workflow forms

To: GLDSS online users

NOTE: This only impacts staff who currently submit or review requests for new Chartfield/WhoKey values which are sent to Accounting & Financial Reporting or Grant Accounting Office staff.

Accounting and Financial Reporting (AFR) and the Grant Accounting Office (GAO) are pleased to announce the campus release of the new Request for General Ledger Chartfields & WhoKeys (CF/WK) application. It is available effective today, to all GLDSS online users in Self Service – Administration – Systems.  It is also available in the Electronic Financial Reports (EFR) application through the new Account Maintenance tab. This application has been used successfully in a pilot with several units across campus for the last 3 months. 

What is the application used for?  This application is used to request the following new Chartfield values and WhoKeys in the General Ledger:

  • Department (+ up to 10 optional WhoKeys in the same request)
  • Subdepartment (+ up to 10 optional WhoKeys in the same request)
  • Grant/Program (G/P): Cost Share (start with ‘3’), Gifts (start with ‘8’) and Other (start with ‘5’). A single WhoKey is required to be established using that G/P value in the same request.
  • WhoKey: Cost Share, Gifts, Salary Cap (G/P 31111111), and Other (G/P ‘00000000’ or starts with ‘5’). All Chartfield values within the WhoKey must already exist and are open in the General Ledger.
  • Cost Center faculty range 1000-8999

Currently the Grant/Program, WhoKey and Cost Center forms allow for a single value to be requested in the same transaction. If multiple values need to be established, they will need to be submitted as separate requests. In the near future, multiple values bundled in the same request for routing will be allowed.

What is the application NOT used for?  The following Chartfield and WhoKey requests are not available in the application and will need to continue to be submitted through the current paper, email-based or centrally handled processes:

  • Grant/Programs and WhoKeys: Grant accounts (funds 500/510), Capital Projects (G/P starts with ‘6’ and Plant Funds 600-799)
  • Changes to existing Chartfields and WhoKeys: this includes updating the description, Open/Close Date, Active/Inactive status and requests to reuse existing values
  • New Fund, Org Unit, Institutional Account, Function and Cost Center buildings and improvements range 0001-0999
  • Any requests for new Chartfield values or WhoKeys that fall outside of the established edits in place within the application

What are the benefits of using this application?

  • Controls are built into the system to provide definitions, help text & existing available values
  • Edits are in place to help users choose the correct combinations of values (including Department range by Org Unit, Grant/Program starts with ‘5’ range by Org Unit, Fund/Function validation and Fund/Org Unit validation)
  • Required Workflow approval routing using established roles and allowing for additional optional approvers to meet unique business needs
  • Upon Workflow completion, the values are automatically loaded to the General Ledger (add Chartfields & WhoKeys), WhoKey Administration (add WhoKey record with Owner, Reviewer and Purpose) and Institutional Roles (add Department and Sub-department records with Administrator roles)
  • Workflow approvers are notified for transactions -- in their Workflow Inbox, when changes have been made as well as for completed status and void status
  • Initiator can view their own previously saved or submitted requests within the CF/WK application

 How can you learn more about this application?  We have created a comprehensive User Manual (link added soon) and we will also offer optional training for end users and workflow administrators (one session for each type of training in July and in August).  Details of the session dates/times will be communicated soon. We have built the application to be intuitive and user-friendly, so it is highly likely that most users can easily use the application without any training. There is also a “Resources/Help” tab within the CF/WK application with links to the user manual, other documentation, related policies and customer support.

We will offer a grace period to allow requests for new Chartfields and WhoKeys to be submitted through the current paper/email-based process.   However, effective September 1, all requests for new Chartfields and WhoKeys that are allowed through the CF/WK application, will be required to be submitted through the application only. We highly encourage you to use the application as soon as possible to take advantage of the benefits noted previously.

Universal Workflow implications.  This is the first financial application to use the new Universal Workflow for routing and approving the creation of GL Chartfield and WhoKey requests.  The application routing rules require the Org-level Budget Officer and any Administrative Assistant roles (as set up in Institutional Roles application) are routed all initiated requests. One of the individuals in this routing must review and approve these requests to complete the transaction in Workflow.  This requirement has already been built into the application so there is no set up required by the Org or Department workflow administrators for this routing rule.  However, campus departments and org units have the option of requiring additional office routings. The optional route(s) would be set up by your Workflow Administrator by setting up Org or Department level Custom Offfice(s) by position, individual or role or using the Default Office route.

A separate email has been sent to campus Workflow Administrators about this and how to view and set up additional optional Workflow routing. Please note: if the application’s required routing to the Budget Officer and their Administrative Assistant(s) is sufficient, then it is NOT necessary to do anything else for routing form types from the CF/WK application.

Questions?  Please direct any questions & comments as follows:

Universal Workflow:

Chartfields & WhoKeys application:

  • Customer Support: afr-chartfield-whokey@uiowa.edu.
    • ***NOTE: please include in the email Subject line of “CF/WK app” to help us direct the email to the appropriate staff for assistance.
  • User Manual:add link soon