Creating a New Journal

1. Enter the Journal Number using the appropriate document number configuration for the type of journal you are creating. 
2. Enter document Description. It is strongly recommended that the user ID and telephone extension be used for identification purposes. (The document description does not appear anywhere in the ledger.)
3. Enter the Effective Date Note: This date will determine in which ledger the document will be posted. For example, if 9/30/98 is used, the document will be posted to the September ledger; if 10/1/98 is used, it will be posted to the October ledger. NPET's should use the first day of the month.
4. Enter the Document Total: the total of the debits and credits contained in the journal. This field may be completed after all of the detail transactions have been entered in the journal detail screen.
5. Select the Approval Template appropriate for the journal type. Note that drop-down list represents the journal voucher hierarchies established for your user ID. Contact your DSA if you require additional templates.
6. Enter the Text Information. This field is used to enter the reason for the document transactions. Note that requirements vary depending on the type of transaction (e.g., NPET's) and the funds involved (e.g., EMF funds).
7. Click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the screen. You will receive a "successful submission" message. If there are errors, you will receive a specific error message.



Adding Transaction Detail - Journal Information

8. From the "Journal Voucher - Header" screen, click on "Transaction Detail". Journal Voucher - Detail screen will be displayed.
9. Enter Journal Type appropriate for the type of transaction.
10. Enter the Transaction Description. NPET's that include transfers to/from Extramural Funds require that the document number and the ledger date of the original transaction be entered in this field. The transaction description for other documents is primarily for the benefit of departmental bookkeepers.
11. Enter Reference Number if desired. This field is optional.
12. Enter Transaction Amount. Note it is not necessary to enter commas or right-justify the amount. Whole numbers can be entered without the pennies.
13. Select debit/credit or plus/minus as follows: 

Nonpayroll Expenditure Adjustments (NPET's): Debit or Credit
Financial journals including recharge and cash recaps: Debit or Credit
Budget adjustment journals: Increase or decrease
Encumbrance adjustment journals: Decrease (increases are not allowed)


Adding Transaction Detail - Account Information

14. Click on the "Clear" button.
15. Enter the Index. The index is required for expenditure (6xxxxx), revenue (5xxxxx), or transfer (7xxxxx or 82380x) accounts. For asset (1xxxxx) and liability (2xxxxx) accounts, only the fund and account are required.
16. Enter the Fund: If the fund is not entered, it will default from the index number. Note: it is recommended that the fund be entered as a cross check against the index number.
17. Enter the ORGN (organization): Optional field; organization number will default from the index number.
18. Enter the Account.
19. Enter the PROG (program). Optional field; program number will default from the index number.
20. Enter the location. This field is used only for Plant Funds. This is an optional field that will default from the index number.
21. Click on the "Add" button. You will receive a "successful submission" message. If there are errors, you will receive a specific error message.
22. Repeat steps 8 - 21 as required. Note: Any information that remains the same as the previous transaction does not have to be re-entered.
23. After all of the transactions for the journal have been completed, click in the "Return to Header" button.

Completing and Approving a Journal

1. Enter the total of the debits and credits in Document Total.
2. Click on the "Change" button. You will receive a "successful submission" statement. If there are errors, you will receive a specific error message.
3. Click on the checkboxes to complete and approve the journal.
4. Click on the "Change" button. You will receive a "successful submission" statement and either a "Document approved for current level" or "Final Approval" statement. If there are errors, you will receive a specific error message.

Printing a Journal

To print a journal:

1. Press on the "Print Report" sidebar button from the Journal Voucher header screen
2. Enter the Printer ID. If you are unsure of the printer ID, click on the  to view a list of printers. Once you have found the printer, click on the printer ID to "drag" it back to the report request screen.
3. Enter the receiver name and mail code. Note: this field is used when printing the cover page for the journal. If you are sending the print job to somewhere else other than your department’s printer, the receiver name and mail code will be used to route the journal to the appropriate destination.

Making Changes on the Journal Voucher – Header

1. If the journal is not already displayed, complete the shaded fields and press the "View Document" button.
2. If the journal is already completed, you must "Uncomplete" and "Unapprove" the document:

1. Click on the "Complete" and "Approve" checkboxes to remove the checks. (Note: if the journal has received "final approval" you will not be able to make changes. The journal can be deleted if it has not been posted.)
2. Press the "Change" button.
3. You will receive a "successful submission" statement.
 

3. Enter the changes to the appropriate fields.
4. Click on the "Change" button.
5. You will receive a "successful submission" statement. If there are errors, you will receive a specific error message.
6. If you are finished with the journal, you will need to complete and approve the document. If you have previously approved the document, you will only be able to complete it as your prior approval is still recorded in IFIS.

Making Changes to the Journal Voucher – Detail

1. If the journal is already completed, it must be "Uncompleted" and "Unapproved".
2. Retrieve the transaction by selecting the appropriate sequence number from the drop down list in the Sequence field. (Note: Each transaction is given a system-assigned sequence number as it is entered beginning with sequence "0001".)
3. Change the appropriate fields.
4. Click on the "Change" button.
5. You will receive a "successful submission" message. If there are errors, you will receive a specific error message.

Deleting the Journal Voucher - Header

1. If the journal is not already displayed, complete the shaded fields and press the "View Document" button.
2. Click on the "Delete" button. (Caution: Deleting the Journal Voucher header record will permanently remove the journal and all associated detail from IFIS.)
3. You will receive a "successful submission" statement.

Deleting the Journal Voucher – Detail

1. If transaction is not already displayed, select the appropriate sequence number using the dropdown list in the Sequence field.
2. Click on the "Delete" button. Deleting the Journal Voucher detail record will remove only the transaction on the screen. (Note: To delete all transactions, delete the Journal Voucher header.)
3. You will receive a "successful submission" statement.

Importing data

A file that you may use as a template has been created in Excel and will download as an excel file. To download the file to your PC, click on the Spreadsheet template for JV import feature Excel File (15KB). A "Save As" pop-up box will display. Use the pop-up to specify where you would like to place the file. Make a note of the file name. Click the "OK" button on the pop-up menu. The file will download. Open the file by launching Excel and selecting "File/Open" from the Excel menu.

Inquiring about an Existing Journal

You may research an existing journal either from the "Journal Voucher – Header" screen by completing the shaded fields and pressing the "View Document" button, or from the "Journal Voucher – Detail" screen by completing the "View Existing Journal Voucher" sidebar button and pressing the "Find It" button. If you are unsure of the document number, click on the  next to the Journal Number field to view a list of existing journals. Once you have found the document, click on the journal number to "drag" it back to the "Journal Voucher- Header" screen.

Viewing Journal Voucher Detail Activity

1. To view several lines of transactions as a time, press on the "View Journal Activity" sidebar button from either the Journal Voucher header or detail screens.
2. To "drag" a transaction line back to the Journal Voucher detail screen (to make changes, delete, etc), click on the line number.

Viewing the Approval History of a Journal

1. From the Journal Voucher Header screen, retrieve the document.
2. Press the "View Approval History" sidebar button. The audit trail will display.

Viewing Unapproved Documents

1. If you have just logged on to the Journal Voucher – Header screens, you will get a message "You have documents to complete/approve" at the top of the screen. Click on the View button. Otherwise, press the "Unapproved Documents" sidebar button from either the Journal Voucher – Header for existing journals or the Journal Voucher – Detail screens.
2. The screen will automatically display your user ID and, if you are accessing this screen from the journal screens, the JV - Journal Voucher document type. To view other’s unapproved journals, enter their user ID in the User ID field and press the Select button.
3. Enter the Accounting Period if you want to limit the display to one period. Otherwise the display will show all journals.
4. The screen displays all document numbers, the document total entered on the Journal Voucher – Header screen, and any prior approvals with the user ID, date, and time of the approval. (Note: the screen only displays those documents that are awaiting your approval. If you are an approver in another user’s hierarchy, and the document(s) have not been completed and/or approved at the lower levels, it will not display in your unapproved documents listing.)
5. To drag the journal back to the Journal Voucher – Header screen, click on the document number.

General Guidelines for Preparing Journals

EMF funds:

1. To obtain required signatures, particularly principal investigator’s (PI’s).
2. To maintain required backup documentation.

Encumbrance adjustment journals have no special requirements. Only encumbrance decreases will be allowed on online journals. Increases to encumbrances must be manually prepared and sent to disbursements for review.

Financial journals, other than recharges and cash receipts, are not typically prepared by departments outside of Business and Financial Services (BFS).

Department Journal Logs

Establishing Approval Hierarchies

Review and Approving Journals of Others

1. From the Journal Voucher Header screen, retrieve the document.
2. Compare the timestamp on the hard copy journal to the timestamp in the "Last Updated By" field at the bottom of the Journal Voucher header screen. The timestamp indicates the last update to any of the detail transactions. If the two timestamps agree, the hard copy version agrees with the online transactions. If the two timestamps do not agree, it indicates that the online transactions have been modified after the journal was printed. It is the approver’s discretion whether a new hard copy of the journal is required. ( A reprint of the journal may not be necessary depending on the type of entry, etc.)
3. Approve the document. If you are the final approver, the message will display FINAL APPROVAL HAS BEEN ACQUIRED, otherwise the message will display DOCUMENT APPRVD FOR CURRENT LEVEL.

1. Retrieve the document from the Unapproved Documents screen.
2. Approve the document, If you are the final approver, the message will display FINAL APPROVAL HAS BEEN ACQUIRED, otherwise the message will display DOCUMENT APPRVD FOR CURRENT LEVEL.