Bridges Advisory #61 - May 27, 2005
Printable versionThe University of Florida is committed to keeping you informed as we continue our transition to the new myUFL systems. To help you with the transition, each week you will receive a Bridges Advisory.
ENTERPRISE REPORTING BEST PRACTICES. There are several things one may do to improve his or her user experience with the Enterprise Reporting tools. In some cases, your actions may also impact the user experience of your peers (i.e., particularly long or complex queries). Here are some helpful guidelines:
Reporting
- Use the delivered reports wherever possible. Interactive reports require database query time; Delivered reports are pre-run and do not require that query time.
- If you run a prompted report and it runs longer than ten minutes, cancel and resubmit the report. Consider refining your request to a smaller report before resubmitting.
- Use the most refined query possible to reduce the time it takes the report to run. It is better to run several small reports than one large report.
- Use the navigation provided within Enterprise Reporting rather than the browser's back button. The browser's back button does not necessarily always issue the correct navigation commands.
- Remember to log out of Enterprise Reporting rather than simply closing the browser window (clicking on the X in the top right-hand corner). This insures that there are no processes left running from your session.
- Please do not schedule reports. This functionality is only to be used with authorization. All active scheduled reports not authorized by the Enterprise Reporting team will be disabled.
PowerPlay
- Any Standard PowerPlay view (query) that exceeds 1 minute needs to be reconsidered. It could be that you have a PDF reporting need that would be better served with a relational query in ReportNet. Although PowerPlay is capable of delivering very complex detail long running queries, it is generally not the best use of system resources.
- When developing your queries, please be careful to filter at the lowest levels possible.
- Try other techniques like reducing the amount of nesting to improve the query times.
TAX SERVICES' NEW WEB SITE OFFERS LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT PAYMENTS TO NON-RESIDENT ALIENS. If you make payments to foreign nationals or foreign organizations please review the new information available from University Tax Services <http://www.fa.ufl.edu/tax> to ensure compliance with IRS regulation 1441 (for individuals) and 1442 (for companies and organizations). Links to this updated Web site are also available on the following Bridges Web site services pages: Hiring and Job Actions and Payroll.
RETRO DISTRIBUTION PROCESS: WEEKLY PROCESSING EXTENDED. Payroll processors are advised that the Retro Distribution Process will continue running weekly through June 29, which is a three-week extension from the original date of June 8. The last Retro Distribution run for this fiscal year will be Wednesday, June 29.
IMAGING REMINDERS FOR TRAVEL, PURCHASING, AND PCARD. Purchasing & Disbursement Services reminds users to follow these imaging guidelines:
All documentation used to support the entry of a voucher into the PeopleSoft system must be sent for imaging to Imaging, PO Box 115350. This includes encumbered/unencumbered disbursements, travel/ER reports, revenue refunds and cash expense refunds. The following requirements should be adhered to when submitting voucher supporting documentation:
- The voucher number generated by PeopleSoft should be legibly displayed in the upper right hand corner of all supporting documentation.
- Documents in the proper condition will aid in the efficiency of the imaging process. Please follow the two guidelines below.
- If a receipt or invoice is less than half of a full 8x11 sheet of paper, it needs to be taped securely (all 4-sides completely taped) to an 8x11 sheet of paper. More than one receipt/invoice can be taped to an 8x11 sheet of paper.
- Do not tape 2-sided utility or phone bills to an 8x11 sheet of paper. Imaging has the capability to scan 2-sided documents and the utility invoices are generally sufficiently sized so as not to require taping to a sheet of paper.
- Purchasing Card documentation must be submitted by attaching the "individual purchasing card user" monthly aging report as a summary sheet to the supporting receipts and invoices for a given month. The supporting documentation should be in the same order as the cover sheet (or aging report). Also the individual's name and UFID number should be clearly visible on the summary report.
Staff may view scanned images (once supporting documentation is imaged) in the myUFL portal under Quick Links > Admin Menu > Finance & Accounting > Vouchers > View Voucher Images. Access to this application requires the UF_N_VOUCHER_IMAGING_VIEW security role. Please contact your Department Security Administrator <http://www.bridges.ufl.edu/security/DSA.pdf> for assistance. If you have any questions, please contact Jean Holland at dghollan@ufl.edu or Susan Wilson at smwilson@ufl.edu.
NEW INSTRUCTION GUIDES. Three new instruction guides are available this week for the following services:
- Hiring and Job Actions > Reclassifying a Position (Updated)
- Hiring and Job Actions > UF Faculty Compliance (Updated)
- Time and Labor > Tips for Approving Time (Updated)
NEW RESOURCES. Three new resources are available this week for the following services:
- General Ledger and Budgets > LOA Direct Tuition Charges for Prior Term
- Hiring and Payroll > University Tax Services Web site
- Time and Labor > Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Web site
For frequent updates about the project, subscribe to the UF Bridges pagelet in the myUFL portal. For a quick tutorial on how to use myUFL, please sign on to the portal and click on Help > How to Use myUFL.
For more information about myUFL systems, visit the Bridges Web site.
For help or support in using the new systems, including the portal, contact the UF Help Desk at 392-HELP or helpdesk@ufl.edu.
