Banner Finance Frequently Asked Questions

Accessing Banner

Fund and Account Codes

Operating Ledger Queries

Fund Balance Queries

Forms

Are there any forms (screens) available in INB that were not part of the initial Banner Finance "go-live" training sessions?

What is the purpose of the Document History FOIDOCH form?
What is the purpose of the Organizational Encumbrance List FGIOENC form?

Requisitions

Help

1) How do I access Internet Native Banner (INB)?
Users may access INB directly or from the Gateway portal. Please note that access to INB will only be available from on campus, even if accessed via the portal. To access Internet Native Banner directly, use Microsoft Internet Explorer (do not use Netscape). Click on the following link and add it to your favorites list:

http://fsbanforms.slu.edu:7799/forms/frmservlet?config=fssctprod prodf1

Users may also access Internet Native Banner from the Gateway portal. Click on the following link and add it to your favorites list:

http://gateway.slu.edu/cp/home/loginf

At the Gateway portal login page, enter your email username (excluding the slu.edu extension) at User Name. At Password, enter your Gateway portal password. If you have forgotten your password, please call the ITS Help Desk at 977-4000. At the Gateway portal home page, click on SLU Banner System.

At the Internet Native Banner Logon box, enter your email username (excluding the slu.edu extension) in the Username field. At Password, enter your PIN. If you have forgotten your PIN, please call the ITS Help Desk at 977-4000.

2) How do I access Self Service Banner (SSB)?
Users may access SSB directly or from the Gateway portal. Please note that access to SSB will be available from both on and off campus.

To access Self-Service Banner (SSB) directly, use Microsoft Internet Explorer (do not use Netscape) Click on the following link and add it to your favorites list:

https://fsselfserv.slu.edu/fssctprod_prodf1/twbkwbis.P_WWWLogin

Users may also access Self-Service Banner (SSB) from the Gateway portal. Click on the following link and add it to your favorites list:

http://gateway.slu.edu/cp/home/loginf

At the Gateway portal login page, enter your email username (excluding the slu.edu extension) at User Name. At Password, enter your Gateway portal password. If you have forgotten your password, please call the ITS Help Desk at 977-4000. At the Gateway portal home page, click on SLU Banner Self Service.

At the SLU Banner Self-Service Login screen, click in the User ID box and enter your assigned nine-digit
Banner ID. This number is located on your faculty/staff photo ID card. Tab to PIN, and enter your PIN. If you have forgotten your PIN, click Forgot PIN?, answer the security question, click Submit Answer, enter and re-enter new PIN, and click Reset PIN. Click Finance from either the web page navigation bar or the body of the web page.

3) How do I move easily between INB and SSB?
Users may open a separate Microsoft Internet Explorer browser window for INB and SSB, and toggle between the two as necessary.

4) How do I find FRS/Banner fund and account code conversion information if I need to pull financial information prior to FY05?
Users who have access to FRS WebFocus may retrieve various FRS to Banner conversion reports. Click on the following link:

https://webfocus.slu.edu/frs/

At the WebFocus applications menu, select FRS/Banner Conversion. The FRS400 report lists FRS account number(s) and the corresponding Banner fund number(s) based on the account ownership selection criteria indicated in Step 2.

5) Which columns should I include in my Operating Ledger Query in SSB?
Business and Finance recommends that users select the following columns when performing an Operating Ledger query: Accounted Budget, Year to Date, Encumbrances, Reservations, Commitments, and Available Balance.

6) Which Fiscal Period do I select for my Operating Ledger Query?
The fiscal period represents the fiscal month period. For example, Fiscal Period “01” corresponds to July, “02” to August, and so on. Fiscal Period 13 is not used. Fiscal period 14 represents June Final. Business and Finance recommends that users select Fiscal Period 14 throughout the fiscal year to view year-to-date transactions.

7) How does Banner define a reservation?
A reservation is a requisition that has completed the approval process (i.e., all approvals including Commitment Office are recorded), is posted to the system, but has not yet been assigned a purchase order number.

8) How does Banner define an encumbrance?
Encumbrances are funds committed for future payment including salaries, purchase orders, travel in process, and recurring journal entries.

Note: The Commitments column in the Operating Ledger Query and the Fund Balance Query includes both reservations and encumbrances.

9) How do I find General Expense available in a General Unrestricted fund in INB and SSB?
Users may view summary fund information (Adjusted Budget, YTD, Commitments, Available Balance) by revenue and expense categories at INB form FGIBSUM. The Chart of Accounts is "1", Fiscal Year "07", enter Organization and Fund, and then perform a Next Block function. Click the Rollback icon on the tool bar to perform a new query.

The Operating Ledger Query in SSB does not currently provide a sub-total of account codes by pool. Users may download the query results into Excel and perform a sub-total on General Expense account codes.

At the Finance menu, click Operating Ledger Query. At Create a New Query Type, click Create Query. At the Operating Ledger Data Columns selection menu, select the columns to be displayed in the query. (Business and Finance recommends that users select the following columns when performing an Operating Ledger query: Accounted Budget, Year to Date, Encumbrances, Reservations, Commitments, and Available Balance.) Click Continue. Select the Fiscal Year, Fiscal Period (14), Chart of Accounts (1), Fund, and Organization. Click Submit Query. Scroll past the Query Results box to the Download Selected Ledger Columns button and click this button. At the Download window, click Open to open the file in Excel. Locate the account code column (generally column J), place the cursor in the first row of General Expense/Capital account codes (7xxxxxx), and click Insert, Rows from the menu. Scroll down the column to the end of the 7xxxxx General Expense/Capital codes and insert a row, if applicable. Press the right arrow until the cursor is in the last populated column of the spreadsheet (Available Balance, generally column Y), click the AutoSum icon, and press enter. The value is total General Expense/Capital available.

Note: There are several steps, but the process takes about five seconds.

10) How do I find the balance available in my Sponsored Program fund?
At the Finance menu in SSB, click Operating Ledger Query. At Create a New Query Type, click Create Query. At the Operating Ledger Data Columns selection menu, select the columns to be displayed in the query. Click Continue. Select the Fiscal Year, Fiscal Period (14), Chart of Accounts (1), and Grant Fund. Verify that the Include Revenue Accounts box is not checked. Click Submit Query. The Report Total Available Balance column displays the available balance for the grant fund.

To obtain balance available by pool, scroll past the Query Results box to the Download Selected Ledger Columns button and click this button. At the Download window, click Open to open the file in Excel. Locate the account code column (generally column J), place the cursor in the first row of General Expense/Capital account codes (7xxxxxx), and click Insert, Rows from the menu. Scroll down the column to the end of the 7xxxxx General Expense/Capital codes and insert a row, if applicable. Press the right arrow until the cursor is in the last populated column of the spreadsheet (Available Balance, generally column Y), click the AutoSum icon, and press enter. The value is total General Expense/Capital available.

11) How do I look up the current fund balance in my Designated, Restricted, Construction, or Agency fund?
At the Finance menu is SSB, click Fund Balance Query. Enter the six-digit fund number at the Fund field, and click Display Fund Balance. The current fund balance displays in the last row of the Actual & Commitments column.

Note: Please use FRS WebFocus to obtain prior month end fund balances.

12) Are there any forms (screens) available in INB that were not part of the initial Banner Finance "go-live" training sessions?
See the INB Forms/SSB Queries Quicklist located on the B&F web site.

13) What is the purpose of the Document History FOIDOCH form?
FOIDOCH allows users to enter a document number (e.g., Requisition, Purchase Order, Direct Payment Voucher, or Business and Entertainment Expense Voucher) and see related document numbers. Please note that users may not “drill down” on this form, but must instead access SSB to see document details.

To find the purchase order number associated with a requisition, enter “REQ” at Doc Type and the eight-character requisition number (R#######) at Doc Code. Perform a NEXT BLOCK function. The purchase order number, if assigned, will display in the Purchase Order field.

In addition, users may enter “PO” at the Doc Type field and the eight-character purchase order number at the Doc Code field to see if there is activity associated with a specific purchase order. Again, the user must access SSB to see document details.

To find a check number associated with a Direct Payment Voucher (DPV) or Business and Entertainment Expense Voucher (BEEV), enter “INV” at Doc Type and the pre-printed document code for the DPV (D######) or BEEV (V######). Perform a NEXT BLOCK function. The check number, if a check has been issued, will display in the Check field. Again, the user must access SSB to see document details including the check date.

14) What is the purpose of the Organizational Encumbrance List FGIOENC form?
This INB form displays a list of encumbrance balances by fund or organization. This form is helpful for users who monitor Sponsored Programs funds and are working on close out reports, as it displays a quick list of current open commitments. Again, the user must access SSB to see document details.

15) How do I see if a check was issued from a Purchase Order, Direct Payment Voucher, or Business and Entertainment Expense Voucher?
Users may access the Document History FOIDOCH form in INB to verify that a check has been issued. To find a check number associated with a Direct Payment Voucher (DPV) or Business and Entertainment Expense Voucher (BEEV), enter “INV” at Doc Type and the pre-printed document code for the DPV (D######) or BEEV (V######). Perform a NEXT BLOCK function. The check number, if a check has been issued, will display in the Check field. To find a check number associated with a purchase order, users may enter “PO” at the Doc Type field and the eight-character purchase order number at the Doc Code field, perform a NEXT BLOCK function, and see the Check field.

Alternately, at the Finance menu in SSB, click View Document. Select Requisition, Purchase Order, or Invoice, as appropriate, from the “Choose type” drop down. To find a check number associated with a Direct Payment Voucher (DPV) or Business and Entertainment Expense Voucher (BEEV), choose “Invoice” from the Choose type drop down. Enter the pre-printed document code for the DPV (D######) or BEEV (V######) at Document Number. Click View Document. The check number, if a check has been issued, will display at bottom of the screen under the heading Related Documents. To find a check number associated with a purchase order, choose “Purchase Order” from the Choose type drop down. Enter the eight-character purchase order number at Document Number. Click View Document. The check number, if a check has been issued, will display at bottom of the screen under the heading Related Documents.

16) How do I search on a vendor in INB without having to start a requisition?
Users may access the Entity Name/ID Search FTIIDEN form in INB to see if a vendor is stored in Banner. At FTIIDEN, perform a NEXT BLOCK function. Tab to Last Name and type the vendor name. Remember that INB is case sensitive, and that the wildcard symbol (%) may be used to broaden the search. Execute the query by pressing the F8 function key. To perform another query, press F7 to reset the form, tab to Last Name, and begin a new query.

17) How do I find the document number (R#) for a requisition that I have just entered or that is in the approval process?
The Open Requisition by FOAPAL Query FPIORQF form in INB provides a list of open requisitions by accounting distribution. An open requisition is a requisition which has not been assigned to a purchase order or which has been posted but not cancelled.

At FPIORQF, enter the six-digit fund number and four-digit organization code, and perform a NEXT BLOCK function to view open requisition detail including the requisition number, line item number, item description, unit of measure, quantity, vendor, and unit price.

Note: The FOAPAL must have been entered on the requisition for the document to display on this screen.

18) How do I check the approval status of a requisition in SSB?
At the Finance menu in SSB, click View Document. The default at Choose type is Requisition, which is correct. At Document Number, enter the eight-character document code. Scroll down and click Approval History. For documents currently in the approval process, the screen displays an Approvals Required box and an Approvals Recorded box. For documents that have recorded all approvals, the screen displays the recorded approvals and the following message: “There are no approvals required at this time.”

Note: A requisition that has been denied and is still in process will indicate no approvals required.

19) What is the purpose of View Document option in SSB?
View Document allows the user to view detailed financial information (including FOAPAL) for documents such as purchase requisitions, purchase orders, and invoices; and to view the approval status and history for requisitions and purchase order invoices greater than $1,000.

20) What is the purpose of the Auto Hint Line in INB?
The auto hint line, which is located in the lower left corner of the Banner screen, displays helpful processing and error messages.

21) How do I change a requisition in INB after I have clicked Complete?
The requestor or an approver must disapprove a completed requisition in SSB before editing the document for changes to the FOAPAL or commodities.

Requisitions may be modified at the Requisition FPAREQN form in INB. At the Requisition field, enter the eight-character (R#######) requisition number to be modified. Perform a NEXT BLOCK function to view each Requisition Entry window, edit or complete each window as necessary, and click "Complete" at the Balancing/Completion window.

22) How do I modify document text or item text on a requisition without having to first disapprove the document?
The requestor or an approver may modify document text or item text in INB at the FOAPOXT Procurement Text Entry form.

To modify document text in INB, go to the FOAPOXT form and enter “REQ” at Text Type. Tab to Code and enter the eight-character (R#######) requisition number. Perform a NEXT BLOCK function. The cursor displays at the first text line. Enter or modify text as appropriate (maximum of fifty characters per line). To enter additional text, click in the next Text line, or perform a NEXT RECORD function. To delete a complete line of text, click Record, Remove from the menu bar. Save the item text and click the Exit icon.

To modify item text in INB, go to the FOAPOXT form and enter “REQ” at Text Type. Tab to Code and enter the eight-character (R#######) requisition number. Tab to Item # and enter the number that corresponds to the line item on the requisition. For example, if line item #2 on the requisition requires update, enter a “2” at the Item# field. Perform a NEXT BLOCK function. The cursor displays at the first text line. Enter or modify text as appropriate (maximum of fifty characters per line). To enter additional text, click in the next Text line, or perform a NEXT RECORD function. To delete a complete line of text, click Record, Remove from the menu bar. Save the item text and click the Exit icon.

Note: The Item Description entered at the FPAREQN Commodity/Accounting window may only be changed by first disapproving the requisition.

23) How do I delete a requisition in INB that I have created in error?
A requisition that has been entered in error or denied may be deleted in order to release budget funds and to delete the approval requirements. A requisition that is in process may be deleted at the Requisition FPAREQN form. If a requisition is in approvals, it must first be denied in SSB by the requestor or an approver before the document may be deleted in INB.

At the FPAREQN requisition field, enter the eight-character (R#######) number to be deleted. Perform a NEXT BLOCK function to access the Requisition Entry: Requestor/Delivery Information window. Click Record Remove from the menu bar. The auto hint line at the bottom of the screen displays the following message: Press Delete Record again to delete this record. Click Record, Remove from the menu bar. Repeating this step prompts an alert box containing the message: All Commodity and Accounting Records will be deleted. Click OK to delete the requisition. The auto hint line displays the following message: Deletion of Requisition is completed.

To verify that the requisition has been deleted, go to INB form FOIDOCH. Enter "REQ" at Document Type and the eight-digit requisition number at Document Code. Perform a Next Block function. If you have successfully deleted the document, the following message will display at the autohint line (lower left of screen): Invalid Request Code.

24) How do I see if a PO number has been assigned?
In INB, go to the Document History FOIDOCH form, enter “REQ” at Doc Type and the eight-character requisition number (R#######) at Doc Code. Perform a NEXT BLOCK function. The purchase order number, if assigned, will display in the Purchase Order field. Or, at the Finance menu in SSB click View Document. The default at Choose type is Requisition, which is correct. At Document Number, enter the eight-character requisition number. Scroll down and click View Document. The purchase order number (if assigned) will display at bottom of the screen under the heading "Related Documents".

25) How do I find INB system messages associated with a requisition?
The General Message GUAMESG form displays Banner system messages associated with document approvals. To view messages for a specific requisition, press F7, tab to Item, enter the eight-character requisition number, and press F8. All messages for that document will display.

Note: Click the Complete radio button and Save to delete a system message.

26) How do I find the available balance in a standing purchase order in INB or SSB?
In INB, go to the Detail Encumbrance Activity FGIENCD form. Enter the eight-character purchase order number at Encumbrance and perform a Next Block function. The screen displays the vendor name, purchase order status (open or closed), FOAPAL information, and all transaction activity associated with the encumbrance.

Alternately, at the Finance menu in SSB click Encumbrance Query. Enter the appropriate parameters for your query. Select the Fiscal Year, Fiscal Period (14), Chart of Accounts (1), Fund, and Organization. You may also enter an account code to narrow your search. Click Submit Query. The Query Results box displays encumbrances by account with underlined links providing access to the encumbrance document detail. The columns include original encumbrance amount, encumbrance adjustments (e.g., POCA’s), Year to Date actual (posted invoices), and Current Commitments. The current commitment amount indicates the remaining balance.

27) How do I cancel a purchase order?
If a purchase order is created in error, send an e-mail message to Purchasing requesting that both the PO and the corresponding purchase requisition be closed. Banner re-establishes the purchase requisition when a purchase order is canceled. Therefore, it is important to request cancellation of the requisition so that another PO is not assigned.

28) How do I close a purchase order?
If a purchase order will have no additional activity, send an e-mail message to Purchasing requesting that the PO be closed.

29) Which service departments currently accept on-line IDO requisitions?
Three service departments currently accept on-line IDO’s: Water Tower Inn, Facilities Services, and ITS.

30) What information is required on a Water Tower Inn requisition?
The required information is the guest name, the guest’s relationship to the University (e.g., guest speaker, faculty candidate), the date(s) of stay, and the confirmation number.

31) Who do I contact for additional help?