New Finance User Resources
If you are new to Banner Finance, this article serves as a comprehensive resource to help you find most of the information you will need. We will continue to update this article to reflect any changes.
- What is FOAPAL Authorization? How to request or remove access?
- What is Banner Finance Dashboard?
- How can I run an Argos Bear Finance Report?
- How do I check what FOAPAL/Fund-Organization access an individual has?
- What is a Storefront and how can I get a Storefront item set up?
- Accounting Best Practice
- How Requisition Approval works in Banner Finance?
- More Banner Finance FAQ's
1. What is FOAPAL Authorization? How to request or remove access?
FOAPAL stands for six key elements of finance data in Banner: Fund (F), Organization (O), Account (A), Program (P), Activity (A), and Location (L). The Fund, Organization, Account, and Program codes (FOAPs) are primary chart of accounts elements used for classification, budgeting, recording, and reporting. Activity and Location codes provide additional performance-related details for transactions.
FOAPAL authorization, also known as Fund-Organization Access, is crucial in Banner as access to any (University and Foundation) finance data is based on the authorized/established Fund/Organization Access for an individual. Depending on the Fund/Organization access granted, individuals can view associated budget information, initiate purchase requisitions against budgets, approve or disapprove requisitions created by others, and perform authorized budget transfers.
To determine your or others' Fund/Organization access, run Fund & Organization (Budget) Access reports.
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View Only Access: Allows individuals to run My Finance Query and generate Bear Finance Reports (if Argos access is granted) for budgets associated with specific Fund and Organization codes.
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Originator Access: Provides "View Only" access and enables individuals to initiate online purchase requisitions through My Requisition in Finance Dashboard for items funded to budgets associated with specific Fund and Organization codes.
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Approver Access: Includes "View Only" and "Originator" access, allowing individuals to act upon online purchase requisitions or perform authorized budget transfers through My Journals in Finance Dashboard for items associated with specific Fund and Organization codes. Approvers are also responsible for approving "View Only" or "Originator" access requests for others, provided it relates to the Fund/Organization over which they have authority.
To request Approver Access, please submit a FOAPAL Authorization - Approver Request.
This form serves as the means to replace approver access, which is manually granted by the Banner Finance office. Users will receive notifications when access is granted.
To request Originator or View Only Access, kindly submit a FOAPAL Authorization - Originator/View Request.
Originator/View access is granted by the fund-organization approver(s) through an automated system. Approvers will receive email notifications for requests and can take action to approve or deny your originator/view access request.
Once Approver Access is established, request for View Only or Originator Access can be submitted through FOAPAL Authorization - Originator/View Request. Approvers have the option to expedite requests for View Only or Originator Access by initiating the request themselves, granting access automatically without additional approvals.
Refer to the FOAPAL Authorization - Originator/View Quick-Guide for instructions and assistance.
For the removal of current access or any other inquiries, please email remove current access, please email BannerFinance@MissouriState.edu.
It's important to note that the Banner Finance Office does not make changes to an individual's access without authorization from departments. Therefore, it is the department's responsibility to authorize changes when individuals relocate to different offices or leave.
Fund-Organization Access (view, originator, or approver) does not include Argos Bear Finance access; session #3 covers Argos Bear Finance reports and outlines how to obtain access. Similarly, Fund-Organization Access does not grant PAF access, as HR controls PAF access. This access is unrelated to P-Card access; for P-Card-related access, please reach out to Procurement Services.
2. What is Banner Finance Dashboard?
Finance Dashboard (Finance SSB9) is only available to users who have been granted/authorized
with FOAPAL/Fund-Organization access from #1 above. The Finance Dashboard allows department
users to review and manage their authorized budgets as well as initiate and approve
requisitions for purchases to be charged against their budgets. The Finance Dashboard
features resources available to departmental users who process purchases and monitor
the budgeted balance available for those purchases.
Finance Dashboard user guides can be access from this page:
https://www.missouristate.edu/FinancialServices/banner-training-guides.htm
We are keeping legacy Finance SSB8 for the purchase order and the view document functions because there are some missing features from those two functions in SSB9. We are continuingly working with Ellucian Banner Support for those issues and hope they can be resolved soon.
3. How can I run an Argos Bear Finance Report?
Before running any Bear Finance Reports it's essential to have BOTH of the following accesses:
Fund/Organization Access: Ensure you have fund/organization access to relevant budgets.
Argos Access: Access the finance folder under Argos to retrieve the necessary reports.
Argos access is managed separately from Fund‐Org access and is under the control of the Information Security Office. It's important to note that having Fund/Organization (Budget) access (as Approver, Originator, or Viewer) does not automatically grant access to run Argos Bear Finance reports. To request Argos Finance access, users must send an email to InformationSecurity@MissouriState.edu.
Tips for running an Argos Report:
If you run an ODSPROD report, use your ODSPROD password; for a PROD report, use your PROD password. Your User ID is typically the first letter of your first name followed by your full last name for both ODSPROD and PROD. Visit https://cams.missouristate.edu to reset your database password if needed. If your ODSPROD/PROD account is locked, please contact the Information Security Office at informationsecurity@MissouriState.edu as they are the only ones who can unlock your account.
Access Bear Finance reports at: https://www.missouristate.edu/financialservices/bear-finance.htm"
4. How do I check what FOAPAL/Fund-Organization access an individual has?
Funds and Organization (Budget) Access Reports are specifically crafted to furnish authorized individuals with access and approver details for both University and Foundation charts. All users possessing Finance Fund-Organization access should have the capability to run these reports. In the event of any issues or questions during the process, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via email at BannerFinance@missouristate.edu.
Check Fund-Org Access by Person
This report allows users to verify Fund-Org access by person, providing details on current Finance SSB access, Fund and Organization authorization, and any established Approver authority for a specified individual.
Check Budget Access by Fund and Organization
This report enables users to check budget access by Fund and Organization, providing information on individuals and their authorized access, along with current Approvers over the specified budget.
5. What is a Storefront and how can I get a storefront item set up?
Transact Payments (CASHNet) serves as the University's online payment system, and there is no cost to University Departments for utilizing this service. Storefronts play a vital role in reducing cash flow at departments, offering fast, easy, and convenient ways to collect funds for various approved items across campus. Storefronts provide secure online collection points, accepting credit cards and electronic checks. Capabilities include generating reports, notifications of payment, overnight automatic posting to the ledger, and customizable design tailored to your website specifications.
To request a storefront item for a new item or event, please submit a Storefront Request Form. Approval, indicated by electronic signatures from all relevant parties including VP/Dean/Provost
and Internal Auditor, is required before Financial Services can begin work. The Request
Form is accessible on the Bursar’s page at:
https://www.missouristate.edu/Bursar/Transact/default.htm
For updates to existing storefront items, please email us at BannerFinance@Missouristate.edu. Always provide the original URL sent to you or your office staff to expedite the location of your storefront item.
6. Accounting Best Practice
7. How Requisition Approval works in Banner Finance?
After successfully submitting a requisition, you have the option to check the Budget Access by Budget Access by Fund and Organization. This report allows you to review who will be approving your requisition by entering the Fund and Organization details. In Banner Finance, the approval structure is configured exclusively based on the Fund and Organization codes, regardless of the account or program code used in the requisition. All approval queues are set up based on departmental requests or needs.
Requisition approval follows specific scenarios:
- Single Approval Limit Scenario (90% of queues): If there are multiple approvers in the same approval queue with the same approval amount, only one person's approval is required. This single approval covers the entire requisition.
- Multiple Approval Limit Scenario (Around 6% of queues): When the approval queue has different limits, requisition approval depends on the requisition amount.
Example:
For requisitions of $3,000 or less, a single approval from the green approver list is sufficient, as they are at the same approval level.
Requisitions exceeding $3,000 require two approvals: one from the green approver list and another from the orange approver list.
- Next Approval Queue Scenario (Very few queues): If the approval queue has a Next Approver after, the requisition requires TWO approvals: one from the first queue (yellow), and another from the Next Approver queue (green). This setup is applied in a very small percentage of approval queues.
Additional Tips for Requisition Approval:
- Email Notifications: There is no automatic email notification sent to approvers when a requisition is submitted, due to the setup implemented during the initial implementation of Banner. The rationale behind this is to prevent potential confusion among approvers, especially when multiple approvers are present in a single approval queue. To ensure timely action, it is recommended that you send a message to your approver, informing them that your requisition is awaiting approval.
- Denying/Rejecting a Requisition: In the event that a requisition is denied or rejected, the approver is required to compose a denial message. This message will be sent to the originator or initiator of the requisition, allowing them to correct the information and either resubmit or delete the requisition if necessary.
- Final Validation Approval: All requisitions approved by departments, as outlined in the situations mentioned above, must go through a Final Validation Approval queue in Financial Services. This validation ensures that expenses are charged to the correct accounting accounts or program codes.
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Mixed Fund-Organization (Budgets) Requisitions: In cases where mixed fund-organization budgets are used in a requisition, requiring approval from different departments, approvers are advised to use the 'All Documents User May Approve' option when approving documents or requisitions.