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Year End Reporting in CREW – See for Yourself top
Year End Reporting Website: http://vpf-web.harvard.edu/ofs/frds/fy08_ye.shtml
One thing you can be sure of is that you are not alone in CREW. If you were ever in doubt, take a look at our live queue updates and report usage statistics -- you’ll see your report submissions have plenty of company. Nearing the second close deadline, CREW is running approximately 5,000 reports a day with financial reports accounting for about 85+% of reports run.
What’s a Queue Got to Do with It?
Each and every report is assigned to a queue. A queue is a part of the CREW scheduling program to control the number reports that can run concurrently so system resources are not overburdened.
Reports are assigned to queues that correspond to business area. Financial reports run in the FIN queues and have a special queue just for the Detail Listing reports. If you want to know why that is, check out the Report Usage Stats link, the “% of Detail Listings to All Other” reports chart will answer that question for you!
Live Queue Updates is like a traffic report where users can see the status of the system and have a better idea of what to expect.
During high-volume reporting days, such as at month-end and during year end, we will see a lot of traffic through the queues and in some cases, a backlog may form and users will see their reports “Pending” for a period of time. (Please note, a report may “pend” very briefly even when slots are available – it is when large volumes of reports accrue for longer pending--greater than 15 minutes--times that indicate a queue backlog.)
In the event of a queue backlog, the CREW Reporting Teams analyze report usage and take actions to alleviate the situation. (Check out the “Year End Volume: Managing Performance” section of the Year End website for more info.)
By continuing to provide visibility into reporting activity, we hope we can help all of us manage and allocate our time and resources to best meet our needs.
Suggestions and ideas welcome! Send an email to admin_systems_enews@harvard.edu.
Harvard Changing PCard Providers from GE Corporate Payments to JPMorgan Chase top
Harvard will be changing PCard providers from GE Corporate Payments to JPMorgan Chase. This decision was reached after the acquisition of the GE Corporate Payment division by American Express. A vendor analysis was conducted and determined that a large number of our current PCard vendors do not accept American Express. As a result, a MasterCard provided by JPMorgan Chase became the best choice for Harvard’s PCard program.
Changes to PCardholders should be minimal, and the PCard settlement system, how it looks and how it is used will not change. The application process will also remain the same.
Key Dates Regarding the Transition to JP Morgan Chase:
- July 21, 2008: The new JPMorgan Chase PCards will be delivered to local PCard Administrators during the week of July 21st for distribution to cardholders.
- July 25, 2008: GE PCards will be cancelled.
Please note: Current PCard holders will automatically receive a JPMorgan Chase PCard; they will NOT need to complete a new application. Cardholders should activate their new PCards immediately upon receipt.
Vendors with recurring charges should be contacted by the cardholder and their new JPMorgan Chase card number should be given in place of their old GE card number. Please note that recurring charges can be forced through by the credit card provider even if the account is closed or cancelled. Cardholders should request written confirmation from the vendor that the credit card information was changed.
Cardholders can continue to use their PCards up until they receive their new JPMorgan Chase cards.
Reviewers should continue to review their transactions in the system. More information on the sweeps will follow.
Latest updates and additional information are available on our PCard transition iSite: pcard.fad.harvard.edu
Expedia Corporate Travel Changing Name to Egencia top
On July 19, Expedia Corporate Travel is changing its name to Egencia. The existing URL (http://www.expediacorporate.com) will remain functional for the foreseeable future in addition to the new URL http://www.egencia.com. All capabilities, commercial terms, and functionality remain unchanged. There will be slight changes to look and feel of the site.
New Key Control Reports to Assist Departments in Complying with SAS 112 top
In April, the Office of the Controller communicated several key control objectives to assist departments in improving their documentation for compliance with the Statement on Auditing Standards No. 112 (SAS 112) for fiscal year 2009.
- SAS 112 requires the external auditor to evaluate deficiencies in internal controls and, depending on the severity, communicate them to management, the JCI, and in an A-133 audit report.
The Controller’s office provided a matrix that identified best practices along with a list of reports that were recommended to be used in satisfying the key controls. Based on feedback that was collected during the rollout of the matrix, three of the reports listed on the matrix have been revised (or newly created) to simplify their use in complying with SAS 112.
Described below are the new reports or modifications made to existing reports to assist departments with their payroll control documentation. This document should not be used to identify the key controls for SAS 112, but rather, should be used to understand how the modifications or new reports can be used to supplement the control matrix.
The following revised and/or new reports will be available on Monday, July 21:
| Cost Center by EE Report | Key Control Use |
|---|---|
PeopleSoft Path: Access: |
Report Review Report Sign-off Saving an Electronic Version |
Sample of the Cost Center Register by EE summary page Modifications to the report include:
|
|
| Personnel Actions History Report | Key Control Use |
|---|---|
PeopleSoft Path: Access: If you never had access to the delivered Personnel Action History report, you must contact your Authorized Requestor. |
Report Review Report Sign-off Saving an Electronic Version |
Sample of the Personnel Actions History report Modifications to the report include:
|
|
| Off Cycle Register Report | Key Control Use |
|---|---|
PeopleSoft Path: Access: If you never had access to the Cost Center Register by EE report, you must contact your Authorized Requestor. |
Report Review Report Sign-off Saving an Electronic Version |
Sample of the Off Cycle Register (new) Features of the new report include:
|
|
If you have further questions regarding these reports or SAS 112, please contact the Office of the Controller at 5-3153 or email robert_lammey@harvard.edu.
Review Tracking Upload Now Available in PeopleSoft top
This past May, the Review Tracking Data page was released to allow tubs to update employee performance review data. This page only provided the ability to add one record at a time. To assist schools in updating this information in a batch process, a new upload process was created that will allow HR departments to enter all of their employees’ performance tracking data into an Excel template and then upload it into PeopleSoft.
The new upload and inquiry pages have been added to the Harvard Process>Extract/Upload on the PeopleSoft menu. To get this role, you must contact your tub’s Authorized Requestor.
To learn more about this process, please visit the Eureka task page at: Eureka>Personnel Actions>Review Tracking. There you will find a detailed work instruction on how to complete the upload along with a link to the Review Tracking Data Excel Template.
Human Resources Data Warehouse and Reporting News- HRMS Updates: Enhancements to CREW HRMS Reports top
CREW HR 4.7 Release Notes
CREW HR Release 4.7 will be deployed into production on 7/18/2008.
| Reports | ||
| Description | Modifications | |
| 1 | PYERNDP015: Departmental – Earnings Lookup |
- The grouping on this report has changed to group on pay check date (vs pay group). |
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the UIS Helpdesk at 496-2001 or uis_helpdesk@harvard.edu.
Thank you,
The CREW Human Resources (Information Management Services) Reporting teams.
Best Practice Reminder-Logging Out of Oracle Financial Applications top
A reminder to everyone that as year end processing continues, the demand on the system is heavy. As a result of heavy system usage, users have experienced some system slowdowns during the first and second week of July.
The best way to ensure adequate systems resources is to remember to ‘logoff’ when you are finished with your work. For instructions on logging out, please review the Nov 2007 eNews.
For WebVoucher you should use the symbol that looks like an arrow pointing to an open door. If you use the 'x' box in the corner the system holds your connection in the background which may limit the available connections.
Modules affected:
WebVoucher/ WebReimbursement
General Ledger
Accounts Payable
Accounts Receivable
Cash Management
iProcurement/ ESP/ Pcard
CAPS
Budget Tool
CSMA
Your assistance in logging off of Oracle financials is greatly appreciated by FAD Systems Solutions and your colleagues throughout the University who are processing financial transactions!
About the e-News top
The Center for Workplace Development publishes this electronic newsletter for users of Harvard University's financial, HR, and reporting systems, policies, and procedures. The e-News is generally published on or around the 15th of each month.
It contains:
- updates on projects underway to build or improve University administrative systems;
- information about new University policies, procedures, and forms;
- reminders about upcoming deadlines and cut-over dates;
- tips and tricks for working more easily or productively.
We welcome questions and suggestions for improvement from readers. If your questions are of general interest, we will answer them in future issues.
Please send comments, questions, or suggestions for improvement by email to us at: admin_systems_enews@harvard.edu.
For information about subscribing or unsubscribing to the eNews notifications, visit our who gets the eNews page.