General Ledger Checklist & Process Steps Guide

Purpose:  Use this document as a reference to assist in the standard or end-to-end processes in chronological order for a specific Finance Module.

Audience:  Finance Staff

The following spreadsheet below provides the standard key processes to General Ledger, such as: Entering a Journal Checklist, Importing a Journal Checklist, General Ledger Roles, and Queries/Reports.

General Ledger Checklist and Process Steps Guide

Or for better accessibility, use the following drop-down checklist style for the General Ledger Checklist & Process Steps Guide:

Entering a Journal Checklist

To view inserted information, select the down facing arrow on the right of the checklist title. 

The initial set up is for the college and describes their overall approval process for whether a journal will need approval or not. This is done by the Project Team at the time of set up.  

Completed by SBCTC Project Team

Establishes a general user preference - NOTE: your Security person does this.

This establishes user's general ledger preferences at the individual level. Note:  your security person does this.

A manual journal is different than a subsystem journal (also called a system generated journal).  A subsystem journal is created from the journal generate process (jgen) mostly at night.  This subsystem journal reflects all the accounting data from the subsystem that needs to go to the General ledger.  A manual journal is a manual entry to the general ledger - sometimes to adjust the general ledger.  NOTE: by doing an edit through a manual journal you are NOT affecting the subsystem - thus, depending on your entry, you can affect the reconciliation of the General ledger to the Subsystems. Most corrections start in the submodule and not directly in the general ledger.

Not all colleges are set up to require approvals for journals.  This step is only necessary if your college opted to have approvals for journals.  Submitting a journal is done on the second tab of the journal page called "lines" (see QRG for other ways).  Under the "process" pulldown select "submit journal".  This journal will be in the General Ledger workcenter for anyone in your college with the role ZZ_GL_Approvals

Related QRG(s)

After a journal is approved (if necessary) then a journal can be posted one of two ways.  The first is to manually post while having the journal open per qrg "Posting a Manual Journal".  And the next is to go to "mark journals for post" per the QRG "Posting Journals". A third way, not listed here - is through the General ledger workcenter.

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Importing a Journal Checklist

To view inserted information, select the down facing arrow on the right of the checklist title. 

The initial setup for importing a journal is a template called  JRNL1_WS. Please see QRG Journal Spreadsheet Template for steps to download the Spreadsheet and Macro. Read the instructions carefully as this template is real finicky and is easy to corrupt.  

NOTE:  Submit Help Desk ticket or contact your Subject Matter Expert

The QRG covers the set up of your template.  Once it's set up you can input your journal you want to import.  Some people enter directly into the template and others will do a paste and drop.  In your example (from the JRNL1-WS sent out to those that request the template) you can see the commonly used fields (they can be a little confusing).  For example State purpose is Chartfield2 - it may or may not have that label depending on which version of JRNL1_WS you get.

There are two ways to import.  The first is called "Import Now".  When  you enter your chartfields and are ready to import you can SAVE first, then click on the ICON at the top of your template that looks like a sheet with 3 black lines and an arrow.  Follow the QRG.  Note:  if you get a password or user error it can be that your security team needs to sync your password so it will be picked up.  In doing this correctly you should receive a response from the system saying there are errors or "imported 1 journal) and then the journal number in the middle. This is where you can get your journal number to check on it like a regular journal and post.

The second way to import is called "Write to File".  With Write to File you will build your spreadsheet on the template like you did with step 2; however,  instead of pressing the import icon;  save the file then go to the home page of the template and click on the "write to file" which is a button at the bottom of  the 'Import Journals" column.  It will prompt you as to where  you want to save the file - take note of where it is saving it, because you will need this file in the next step.  in short, what you are doing is creating a TXT file in excel and then will go to CTClink to actually load this file in the next step.

Now that the "Write to File" has been saved you will need to import the Txt file in ctcLink. See QRG.  Note:  one of the most common errors is when you are importing if you click on the Edit box; be sure on the run control you choose as Journal Import with Edit". If Edit is not checked on the Spreadsheet Journal Import Request then choose "Spreadsheet Journal Import" on your Process Scheduler Request.  

This isn't a step for actually importing a journal; but it is a step you will need to review and either submit your journal for approval or post.

Navigation:  General Ledger > Journals > Journal Entry > Create/Update Journal

This step is when you have to submit for approval. Not all colleges are set up to require approvals for journals.  This step is only necessary if your college opted to have approvals for journals.  Pull up your journal.  Submitting a journal is done on the second tab of the journal page called "lines".  Under the "process" pulldown select "submit journal".  This journal will be in the General Ledger workcenter for anyone in your college with the role ZZ_GL_Approvals

Related QRG(s)

This is no different than any other journal that you want to post.  Once it's ready to post you can post in a couple different ways. After a journal is approved (if necessary) then a journal can be posted one of two ways.  The first is to manually post while having the journal open per qrg "Posting a Manual Journal".  And the next is to go to "mark journals for post" per the qrg "Posting Journals". (a third way is through the GL workcenter if you have access).

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General Ledger Roles/Configurations (local values only)

Role:  ZZ GL Local Configuration - Access to Account Types, Accounting Entry Definition, Add ChartField Value Sets, Adjustment Periods Mass Update, Attributes, Budget Period Calendar, Budget Period Calendar Builder, Build CF Combination Data, Build Combination Data, Business Calendar, Calendar Builder, Calendar Period Deletion, ChartField Values ChartField1, Combination Group Report, Department, Detail Calendar, Load Tree Detail Values, Model ChartField Values, Open Period Display, Update and Mass Update, Program, Project, Setup ChartField Value Sets, Speed Types, Standard Configuration, Templates, Update ChartField Value Sets

Role:  ZZ General Ledger Allocations - Access to Request Allocation, Define Allocation Group, Define Allocation Step, Copy/Rename/Delete Step.

Role:  ZZ GL Journal Entry - Access to Copy Journals, Create/Update Journal Entries, Entry Event Journals, External Flat Files, Journal Search Transfer, Review Journal Status, Spreadsheet Journals, Transfer to Journal Edit.

Role:  ZZ General Ledger Processing - Access to Add ChartField Value Sets, Budget Check Journals, ChartField Request, Edit Journals, Journal Unlock, Load Reconciliation Data, Process Reconciliation, Schedules, Setup ChartField Value Sets, Transform/Stage GL Journals, Update ChartField Value Sets, Mark Journals for Posting, Mark Journals for Unposting, Post Journals.

Role:  ZZ GL Journal Approval - Access to Access to Journal Approval and Manage Journal Approval.

Role:  ZZ GL Journal Generation - Access to Generate Subsystem Journals (AR/BI, AP, AM, EX, TR, PC).

Role:  ZZ General Ledger Build - Access to Build Summary Ledger, Define Summary Ledger, Ledger Set for Summary Ledger.

Role:  ZZ General Ledger Reports - Access to Allocation Group Report, Allocation Step Report, Budget Attributes Report, Budget Control Report, Budget Periods, Budgets/Actuals Reconciliation, State Auditors Office Monthly Acct, Federal Transaction Register, Federal Trial Balance, GL Subsystem Reconciliation Report Request, Journal Entry Detail, General Ledger Activity, Ledger vs. Journal Integrity, Standard Journal, nVision Reports, Journal Edit Error Report, Posted Journal Summary Report. Reports on Design ChartFields, Journal Source Report, Statutory Summary Balance.

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Queries and Reports
Queries
Navigation: Reporting Tools > Query > Query Viewer
Comments
QFS_GL_ACCT_ANALYSIS
Pulls from the General Ledger
QFS_GL_ACCOUNT_ANALYSIS
Pulls from Journal lines and Header; includes activity and analysis type
Reports
Navigation: Reporting Tools > Pivot Grid > Pivot Grid Viewer
Comments
PGFS_KK_BUD2ACT_GNT_PG
Budget to Actual for Grant Departments
PGFS_KK_BUD2ACT_OPR  
Budget to Actuals for Operational Departments
PGFS_KK_BUDGET_OVERVIEW
Commitment Control detail for Operational Departments
PGFS_KK_BUDGET_OVERIVEW_GNT
Commitment Control detail for Grant Departments Queries
QFS_KK_BUDGET_OVERVIEW_OPR
Summary for Operational Departments
QFS_KK_BUDGE_OVERVIEW_OPR_DTL
Transactions Detail for Operational Departments
QFS_KK_BUDGET_OVERVIEW_GNT  
Summary for Grant Departments
QFS_KK_BUDGET_OVERVIEW_GNT_DTL
Transaction Detail for Grant Departments
BI Reports
Navigation: Reporting Tools > BI Publisher > Query Report Viewer
Comments
Audience:  Colleges & SBCTC The following reports use the Commitment Control ledgers. There are two sets of reports. One is for operational budget and the other is for grant budgets. Budget, expenses, encumbrance and pre-encumbrance amounts are displayed. Available budget is calculated and displayed
BFS_KK_B2AOP
Budget to Actual for Operational Department
BFS_KK_B2AGN
Budget to Actual for Grand Departments Financial Status Report pulls from the Journal tables.  Data includes revenue and expenses displayed by fund by department in a BI Report.
BFS_GL_FINST

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You are done. Great job!

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