4113 user guide - charles darwin university · 2 logging into cognos relevant staff from faculties...

University Finance

IBM Cognos 10 Planning Financial Performance Management Solution

User Guide

Master Document located at: W:\fas\fas-Quality Management System\Quality Management System\01 Quality System\02 WORK INSTRUCTIONS\4100-4199 Business Systems\4113 User Guide.docx

IR# 2733 R3-07-16 Finance Systems University Finance Work Instruction

CONTENTS

1 Introduction ................................................................................ 3

What is Cognos ........................................................................................ 3 Why Cognos ............................................................................................. 3 Benefits of Cognos ................................................................................... 3

2 Logging into Cognos ................................................................ 4

The login Screen ...................................................................................... 4 (If you have a problem logging in – Contact the elVIS Helpdesk on extn 6039)Access to Applications .................................................................... 4 Links to Applications ................................................................................ 5 Contributor Menu Screen ......................................................................... 5 Favourites / Most Recently Used ............................................................. 5 Icons ........................................................................................................ 7 Links to Area/Activity ................................................................................ 8

3 Working with the Application ................................................... 9

The Toolbar .............................................................................................. 9 Entering Data ......................................................................................... 11 Calculation Cubes .................................................................................. 13 Submitting Reports for Review ............................................................... 13 Exporting Data ....................................................................................... 13 Retrieving Rejected Reports .................................................................. 13

4. Applications ................................................................................ 14

HR Model ............................................................................................... 14 RE Model ............................................................................................... 15

5 Process ..................................................................................... 16

6 Working with HR Model .......................................................... 17

7 Useful Tips ............................................................................... 19

8 Working with RE Model ........................................................... 21

9 Get Data .................................................................................... 23

10 Exporting Data ......................................................................... 25



1 Introduction

What is Cognos

Cognos offers a single software suite that supports all the components of corporate performance management - from planning and budgeting, to measuring and monitoring performance, to reporting and analysis of all things financial.

Why Cognos

The University is required to offer a formalised transparent budgeting system to its community. We require a platform that has the capacity to provide business intelligence empowering the budgeting process with enhanced analytical capacity and better decision-making.

Benefits of Cognos

Allow cost centres to enter their budgets online enabling collation of the budget for management and governance purposes.

Budget to Activity level by natural account.

Budget tracking by cost centre revenue.

Budget information can be exchanged with Oracle Financials and actual income/expenditure available to both systems to enhance reporting/analysis purposes.

Budget results to be displayed via the Web.

Display of Budget vs Actuals via web.

Cost centre management – Revenue and Expenditure Targets.



2 Logging into Cognos

Relevant staff from Faculties and divisions will be offered support from the delegated areas Management Accountant.

Cognos is accessed from the home page using by selecting University Finance – Cognos Budget login or for reporting select Cognos Reporting login . Use your network username and password.

http://www.cdu.edu.au/finance

(Alternatively use the following URL:

‐ Cognos Budget login

Planning (Budget) url is http://musvit/ibmcognosep/cgi‐bin/cognosisapi.dll

‐ Cognos Reports login

BI (Reports & Analysis) url is http://musvit/ibmcognos/cgi‐bin/cognosisapi.dll

The login Screen

(If you have a problem logging in – Contact the elVIS Helpdesk on extn 6039)



Access to Applications

Links to Applications Contributors for Budget processing will have access to the ‘Budget Contributors Dashboard’. This access will allow the user to work with HR Model and Revenue and Expenses (RE Model). Cognos uses the University’s Chart of Accounts hierarchy to determine level of access. Cognos users have the role of either, Read, Write, Submit or Review within area of responsibility.

Contributor Menu Screen Once the user has selected the Application they wish to work with, Cognos will allow the user to view the cost centres for which the user is responsible. This user has access to all cost centres within the Application.

Favourites / Most Recently Used The Budget Models – Store your Favourites You can store Favourites and use a Most Recently Used List. To add cost code to your Favourites list, navigate to the code( expanding the list as required), right click on the selected code choose ‘Add to Favourites’. To open a code from your favourites – right click on the code and choose ‘Open Grid’. To remove a code from your Favourites – right click on the code and choose ‘Remove Grid’.



You can choose to copy a cost code from your Most Recently Used to your Favourites or remove a cost code from the list – right click and see the options. You can collapse and expand both the Favourites and Most Recently Used lists. You can also choose to open any cost code from on the left hand side by right clicking on the code and choosing ‘Open Grid’.



Icons Each item in the tree has an icon that tells you the current state of the data.

Icon State and description

Not started No changes have been saved to the data, although the contribution may have been opened for editing.

Work in progress The data was saved but not submitted. You can change and submit data in this state.

Locked The data was submitted and the e.List item was locked. Data can only be viewed in this state. If an e.List item is rejected, its state returns to Work in progress.

Incomplete At least one item belonging to this item is Not started, and at least one other item is in a state of Work in progress, Locked, or Ready. Data in this state was aggregated. The Incomplete state applies only to review e.List items.

Ready All e.List items belonging to the reviewer e.List items are locked. The data is ready to be submitted to the next level in the hierarchy.

Currently being edited or annotated The e.List item was opened for editing or annotating. An edit session is ended by the user closing the grid, or by submitting the e.List item.

Out of date Data in the e.List item needs restructuring to reflect changes in the application, or system data must be imported.

Currently being edited or annotated and is out of date.



Links to Area/Activity The user should select the Area-Activity they wish to work by expanding the tree.

You can edit data only if it has a workflow state of Not started or Work in progress . The icon indicates the workflow state.



3 Working with the Application

The Toolbar

Taking Ownership To enable data input, the user will need to “Take Ownership” of the application by clicking on the “Take Ownership” icon.

Save To save any data entered at any time, click on the “Save” Icon.

Print To obtain a print-out of the current screen, please click the Print Icon.

Cut To Save Text onto Clipboard, Highlight the text then click the “Cut” Icon (this will delete the highlighted text off the page).

Copy To save text onto clipboard, highlight the text then click the “Copy” Icon (Highlighted text will NOT be deleted.)

Paste To paste any text cut or copied to clipboard, click on the “Paste” Icon.

Annotate You may want to add notes to your plan. You can do this by annotating a cell, a tab, or the whole model by clicking on the “Annotate” Icon.

Swap Rows and Columns If you want to swap the rows and columns that currently appear in the view, click on the “Swap Rows and Columns” Icon.

Zero Suppression If you want to hide a page containing only zeros on a tab, click on the “Zero Suppression” Icon.

Autosize Visible Range Distributes the data across the column



Get Data Get data, if enabled, lets you load data into Contributor, either from other Contributor cubes, or from external sources. If available, click “Get Data” Icon.

Validate Data validation ensures that data entered in a Contributor application is in the right format and conforms to existing business rules.

Submit You submit an application to the next reviewer in the planning model hierarchy when you are happy with the data it contains. After you submit the application, the data is locked and you can make no further changes, although you can annotate. The reviewer can either accept or reject the changes you made to the application.

Reject If you are not happy with the contents of an application, and you have appropriate rights, you can reject it, either from the workflow screen, or from the grid .The state of a rejected application changes from Locked, to Work in Progress . It must be modified and resubmitted.

Help Online Help is available with Cognos by clicking on the “?” Icon.



Entering Data Taking Ownership Once the owner “Takes Ownership” the screen will display white fields for entering data

Where the columns are grey, users will be unable to update the data. Using Drop Down Menu to enter Data Within the Cognos Applications there are fields in which information is taken from

a Drop Down Menu. Simply click on the Icon to display the available Entries. Then select the appropriate data. Links between Fields Some fields within the Cognos Applications are determined by the data input into another field ie. When a Position Number is entered into the Salaries and Wages Application, the Position Description will be automatically displayed. Calculated Cells If you type data into a calculated cell and press Enter, data in other cells that are part of the calculation are automatically recalculated. If a cell contains calculations the numbers in it are bold. A numerical data cell that has no value contains a zero. If the zero is bold, this is a calculated cell.



Creating Break Backs Typing a total amount into the Total cell and pressing Enter automatically divides the amount over the 12 months. This is called breakback. Important Note: **When using the option to ‘Break Back’ for the full year, amount that is divisible by 12 must not include any decimal values** E.g. If you type 24,000 in the Total cell and press Enter, each month total is 2000. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total

US 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 24000

If you change the total to 30,000 and press Enter, each month total changes to 2,500. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total

US 2500 2500 2500 2500 2500 2500 2500 2500 2500 2500 2500 2500 30000

If you change June to 3000 and press Enter, and then change the total annual cell to 40,000 and press Enter, the June total changes to 3934 and the other months change to 3279. The month totals changed proportionally according to the values contained in the cells. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total

US 3279 3279 3279 3279 3279 3934 3279 3279 3279 3279 3279 3279 40000

However, if you change the June total to 3000 without pressing Enter and then change the total annual cell to 40,000 and press Enter, the June total is held at 3000, and the other months change to 3364. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total

US 3364 3364 3364 3364 3364 3000 3364 3364 3364 3364 3364 3364 40000

Applying Holds / Release You can apply a hold to a cell which means that if breakback is used, the held cell is protected from it. A held cell is turquoise in colour. To apply a hold on a field, right click on the field and select “Hold”. To Release a Hold in a Field, Right click on the field and select “Release”.



Calculation Cubes Calculation cubes take the data entered and applies the appropriate formulas to obtain a Final Figure (e.g. HR Model Calculation Cube).

Submitting Reports for Review Once users are satisfied with the content they can then submit the Report for by clicking on the “Submit” Icon once data is submitted for Review it becomes Locked .

Exporting Data Users can export their data into an Excel spreadsheet by clicking on File – Export - Quick Export and data will Export to Excel.

Retrieving Rejected Reports If a Report is rejected the status of the report changes from Locked . to Work in Progress . It must be modified and resubmitted.



4. Applications

The applications within the University’s Budgeting solution are: HR Model RE Model HR Model This application is used to budget for Employee Costs. The HR Model consists of:

Existing Positions The data will be populated into the grid. This application will automatically spread the employee costs (incl. on-costs) by Working Days over Calendar Months. Employee Calculation Displays the summary of the base salary + oncosts (ie leave loading, superannuation, increments etc)



RE Model The RE Model application will be used by the Contributors to import the data for salary expenses from HR Model and enter their Budgets for applicable Costs directly against natural accounts. The RE Model consists of:

Revenue and Expenses Input Will be used to import the salary data from HR Model by using the get data functionality within the model, and for contributors to enter expected costing against natural accounts for both admin and operational expenses. Note: Expenses should be entered at the sub-account level, the model will calculate the total expenditure at the natural account level. Initiative Expenses Input Will be used to enter expenses for new initiatives as approved under the strategic initiative process. Revenue and Expenses Summary

This view will summarise the data from all the entry (HR Model, New Initiatives, and Revenue and Expenses Input) in one easy view.



5 Process

University Cost Centre managers will be able to look at the expenditure for a previous year, current year, and current budget and then “Forecast” the budget required for the budget year. The process is demonstrated in the flowchart below:

Open the Application

Use the Previous year’s and this year’s actuals as a guide

Using the Input screen type in figures

Take ownership of

cube

Repeat the process for each

application

HR ModelRE Model

Open Revenue

and Expenses

Run the links from the HR Model cubes and then complete the ‘Regular’

expenses

Check the final figures and

adjust where necessary

Submit to your Reviewer for

approval

Once the Budget is accepted, it becomes the University Budget,

if there is a problem it will be rejected, alterations made and then

resubmitted to Finance



6 Working with HR Model

The aim of this section is to give some hints on working with the application. Select the Area and activity from the Tree and open the HR Model Application.

You will then need to “Take Ownership” by clicking on the following icon .



Existing Positions:

The Existing Positions Tab will show you all the Positions currently held by the Cost Code and the details of each Position. Some fields within Existing Positions do not allow any input. The Fields in Existing Position are: Field Name Description

Position Number Lists the Position Number Position Description Lists the Name of each Position Employee Number Lists the Unique Employee Number Employee Name Lists the Name of Employee Vacant Position States Vacancy of Position Level Lists the Level at which each position is employed Level Overwrite Allows Overwrite of Level as Approved Level Final Lists the Final Level Base Salary Lists the Base Salary for each Position Base Salary Overwrite Allows Overwrite of Base Salary as Approved Base Salary Final Lists the Final Base Salary Increment Level Lists the Level at which Employee will be paid post increment Increment Level Overwrite

Allows Increment Overwrite as Approved

Increment Level Final Lists the Final Increment Level Increment Salary Lists the Salary that the Employee will receive post increment Increment Salary Overwrite

Allows Overwrite of Increment Salary

Increment Salary Final Lists the Final Increment Salary Increment Month Shows the Month Increment becomes available Increment Month Cancel

Allows Cancellation of Increment

Increment Month Override

Allows you the option to enter a new Increment Month

Effective Increment Month

Lists the Current Effective Increment month for each Position

Employment Type Allows Selection of Permanent, Temporary or Contract Employment Status Allows Selection of Full-Time, Part-Time or Casual Award Allows Selection of HEW, VET or ACADEMIC SSAU% The Current % of SSAU for each Position TESS% The Current % of TESS for each Position CSS% The Current % of CSS for each Position NTGPASS_$$ The Current $$ of NTGPASS for each Position Other Super % The Current % of Other Super for each Position Bonus Amount The amount paid as Bonus Bonus Month The month in which the Bonus is to be paid Start Month The month each Employee will start in the Budgeted Year Discontinued Allows End Dated of an Existing Staff Member End Month Allows entry of End Month for each Position Hours The current number of hours worked per week Standard Hours Set at 36.75 for each week for each position FTE Full-Time Equivalent Zone Allowance The amount of Zone Allowance paid to each Employee Other Allowance Entry of Other Allowances paid to each Position eg. First Aid Allowance Type Allows Selection of HE, VET or General Staff Allowance Protected Field Allowance Total Sum of Zone Allowance and Other Allowance Max Leave Loading Leave Loading payable as per EBA Leave Loading % Generally 17% Payable to each Position Position Status Allows Selection of Committed, Semi-Committed or Non-Committed



7 Useful Tips

Award This field is used to calculate the current staff and is in the data that is transferred to the HR Model Summary Cube it is imperative that this field is not left blank. Continuing position: When entering Beginning and Ending Months remember that you are Budgeting for each Position and not for each Employee. Terminating / Discontinuing Position If you would like to terminate a position in the Current Staff list – simply select “yes” in the “Discontinued” field. New Position You can use an existing Position Number (if known) OR Vacant /New Position. Splitting Occupancy between various cost centres If you have one person funded from several cost centres, you can do a calculation based on the hours of work done for each cost centre and in the Hours column – type the number. This will calculate their base salary for the cost centre and the FTE. (eg Joe Bloggs 80% 0207 would be 29.4 hours and the remainder 20% or 7.35 hrs can be charged to a second cost centre 0209. Swap Rows and Columns It is easier to view all the details for each employee. This will save you scrolling across the page to view begin and end months, FTE etc... Casual Positions You enter these in the Existing Positions cube, enter the begin and end dates, Level, Employment Type, Employment Status, Award, and the hours. (If you put in 73.5 hours for this position – it will calculate FTE = 2). You must annotate this entry with details of why you did this. Employee Calculations This is the tab displays what each staff member will cost, summary of all costing for all staff and the breakup of costing as well as the exact FTE. Swap the rows and columns and dimensions to slice and dice the information.



Please note: When you view the records in the Employee Calculations – when you have end dated current staff there will be line numbers missing. Please Note To change the view so that you can see all details about all employees, click the bar to the left of the page list box (ALL LINES) and drag to the Column heading (0207-1701 Administration) Select Employee Calculation Tab

View is changed by substituting column and row headings

Using the icon above drag ALL Lines and drop over the cost code to view all employees

Using the icon above change(click and drag) the view to suit your requirements



8 Working with RE Model

Navigate on the left hand side by expanding + levels to the required code. To open – right click and choose ‘Open Grid’.

The ‘Grid’ will open

You can review the Expected Expenditure data at an Account Level. You can also review:

Actual (prior year) Actual (current year) Revised Budget Budget Take ownership of the code and enter relevant data into Revenue and Expenses input grip. Data can only be input into cells that are white (writeable).



9 Get Data

To bring the HR data into the RE model – File > Get Data Choose System Links tab. Click on HR_MODEL to RE_MODEL. Click Run

Salary data will be visible in Revenue & Expenses Input



You can now complete the remainder of the data at an Account Level entering by Month / Quarter or Year utilising the Break Back option. Important Note: **When using the option to ‘Break Back’ for the full year, amount must be divisible by 12 must not include any decimal values** When all data has been entered into Revenue & Expenses application save the

data and then submit the Budget Forecast by clicking the Submit Icon . Pressing the Submit Icon will bring up the following pop-up

If you wish to proceed, select “Yes”. This will lock the Data. The following Icon

will appear in the Page list indicating that the Worksheet is locked. Hint: Contributors may like to keep a copy of the inputted budget in spreadsheet format. In RE Model select the Revenue & Expenses Summary Load In Rows – drag the tab labelled 1 Natural Accounts

Columns – drag the tab labelled 4 Months FCST_Growth

Context – Select Budget 20XX, Account Code will be displayed and Select CDU and Commercial



10 Exporting Data

File – Export – Quick Export

Your data should be displayed in excel format, save and use as required.



Icon State and description

Not started No changes have been saved to the data, although the contribution may have been opened for editing.

Work in progress The data was saved but not submitted. You can change and submit data in this state.

Locked The data was submitted and the e.List item was locked. Data can only be viewed in this state. If an e.List item is rejected, its state returns to Work in Progress.

Incomplete At least one item belonging to this item is not started, and at least one other item is in a state of work in progress, locked, or ready. Data in this state was aggregated. The Incomplete state applies only to review e.List items.

Ready All e.List items belonging to the reviewer e.List item are locked. The data is ready to be submitted to the next level in the hierarchy.

Currently being edited or annotated The e.List item was opened for editing or annotating. An edit session is ended by the user closing the grid, or by submitting the e.List item.

Out of date Data in the e.List item needs restructuring to reflect changes in the application, or system data must be imported.

Currently being edited or annotated and is out of date.

On Final Approval from Council the Budgets are then loaded into Oracle. The ongoing and updated information provided can then be used as the Basis of submitting the following year's Budgets.

4113 user guide - charles darwin university · 2 logging into cognos relevant staff from faculties...

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