Chartfield Information


Table of Contents


Chartfield Changes Introduction

When a University department or office undergoes change, such as a transfer to a new college/VP area or a merger with another unit, it is sometimes necessary to establish new ChartFields, particularly Organization codes, to track its financial activity. As you might imagine, changing everything (HR, purchase orders, phone bills, p-cards, etc.) to the new ChartFields can be labor-intensive, and such changes should be carefully considered. In many cases, an office can continue using its old ChartFields by requesting changes in the attributes associated with its Organizations and Funds. The following sections of this memo provide guidance on changing ChartField attributes, inactivating ChartFields and moving business to new ChartFields. Please feel free to contact the Division of Accounting at chartfield-request@osu.edu with any questions regarding ChartField changes.

Changing Chartfield Attributes

For each unique value in the University's Chart of Accounts (ChartField in PeopleSoft lingo), the University maintains additional information, or attributes. Attributes include descriptions, owner organizations (for Funds), system security/workflow information (based on Organizations) and the location of values on the ChartField Trees. When a minor organizational change occurs or a unit is moved relatively unchanged to another area, the change can most easily be addressed through changes to ChartField attributes. Trees allow an out-of-range organization number to be grouped with a new college/VP area for reporting purposes. Changes to the attributes of existing ChartField values generally require few or no changes in other administrative systems (HR, Procurement, billing units), and occasional system users do not need to alter their routines.

Inactivating Chartfields

In some cases, the degree of change requires a move to new ChartFields and the inactivation of the old ones. Inactivation is an option for Organizations, certain Funds and departmental (non-OSURF) Project values. Other segments are generally available for University-wide use and would not be inactivated based on an individual department's request.

The actual inactivation of a ChartField value represents the final step of a review/clean-up process that may extend over several months. To begin this process, departments must identify where the value is currently being used in the PeopleSoft systems. Flex report GLU731OS lists where a ChartField is being used in the Financials (GL/Budget/Procurement) systems. Flex report PER617OS lists where a ChartField is being used in the HR system.

The final section of this memo provides a comprehensive checklist of the changes that may be required to inactivate an Organization value. Fund inactivations require similar changes, plus entries to transfer out any remaining balances.

Reusing Old Organizations

When restructuring occurs, a decision needs to be made whether to retain the existing organization number or to assign a new one. The following table summarizes some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with each option.

  Retain Org Number Assign New Org Number
Advantages
  • Historical data remain with org; use trees to associate existing organization with new college/VP area
  • Least amount of manual rework for college or VP area
  • Fewer security/access changes required for on-line systems
  • Maintains consistent numbering within college or VP area
  • Reflects new identity for new or significantly restructured organizations
Disadvantages
  • College/VP area includes certain org numbers outside range of most other organizations
  • Out-of-range org may cause problems with other systems that sort/distribute information based on org number ranges
  • Significant work to update HR & Procurement data, as well as other systems
  • Requires more extensive system access changes
  • May take several months to implement all necessary changes and clean up remaining balances
When to Use
  • Operation moves relatively intact to another college/VP area
  • A new unit is created
  • An Organization is divided
  • Multiple Organizations are merged
  • A significant business process changes

Please contact Resource Planning or the Controller's Office in the planning stages of any major organizational move. We will work with you to consider the advantages and disadvantages of changing Organizations (and other ChartFields) and will work through the necessary changes in Organization trees, security and other areas.

Special Considerations Regarding D-orgs

One of the most significant changes associated with the implementation of the ChartField was the move from about 450 four-digit Department numbers to over 2,000 five-digit Organization numbers. Each college began the ChartField translation process with one Organization number for each of its existing department numbers (for example, 3940 became Organization 39400). These Organization numbers, which all end with a zero, have come to be known as "D-Orgs".

Although the PeopleSoft systems began using the five-digit Organization for all University financial transactions in FY01, some University systems, including major student systems, continued using the existing set of four-digit department numbers. One implication is that the DEPTMAPF file, a remnant of the old financial system, has continued to be maintained. Another implication is the need to structure the Master Organization tree so that all Organizations roll up to a node level that corresponds to the old FAS departments (for example, Organizations 39400, 39401 and 39402 all roll up to a node named "D3940"). This is known as the "D-Org level" on the Organization tree. The purpose of the D-Org level is to provide a bridge between the old department numbers and the new organization numbers.

Requests for new sub-organizations generally will be processed by Accounting and the Security team. However, special considerations apply to requests for new D-level organizations. Accounting will forward all requests for new D-Orgs to Resource Planning for review. Depending on the nature of the requested new Organization, Accounting and Resource Planning may consult with colleges, the Office of the Senior Vice President for Business & Finance and the Office of Academic Affairs to ensure that all necessary approvals for the new organizational unit are in place.

Checklist for Organization Changes
Activity Same Organization Number New Organization Number
Human Resources
JEDs No action needed Must re-enter JEDs under new org
Job Data No action needed Job Data panels need to be updated
Position Descriptions No action needed Need to update Position Data panels
Check Distribution Notify HR of changes for distribution purposes
Reports May need to change tree node
Workflow Approvals and/or authorization levels need to be updated.
Timekeeping No action needed Create new timekeeping group and move employees from old to new group
 
Procurement
Procurement Cards No action needed Obtain cards with updated values.
Purchase Orders No action needed Reissue blanket & term orders using new Org, some period of time for clean up of open orders & invoices
Invoices No action needed Notify AP of distribution changes
Capitalized Equipment No action needed Must be manually moved
Standing 100Ws with campus units
(e.g., gas cylinders)		 No action needed Change distribution to new Org
Workflow Approvals and/or authorization levels need to be updated.
 
General Ledger
User Defined and Flex Reports May need to change tree node Set up with new Org, may need to change node
Electronic interfaces May need to update to new organization
Workflow Approvals and/or authorization levels need to be updated.
Distribution Code Needs to be updated through Accounting
 
On Campus Goods & Services
Development No action needed Change distribution to new Org
Endowments No action needed Work with Treasurer about distribution to new Org
Faculty Club No action needed Change billing data to new Org
Investment income & debt No action needed Change distribution to new Org
Medical Center    
Physical Facilities No action needed Change Org for utility bills and any open work orders
Property Management No action needed Change Org for any rented space (income or expense)
Reprographics No action needed Cost per copy charges need to be moved to new Org
Research Foundation No action needed Projects need to be updated
University Architect No action needed Change projects to new Org
OIT (& other area who use customer
account numbers))		 No action needed Update Org on user accounts
UNITS Notify regarding new distribution for reports Move phone charges to new Org, may need to change report distribution
University Mail Notify regarding new distribution for reports Create new mail labels, may need to change report distribution

Requests for ChartField and security changes will be accepted only from Senior Fiscal Officers or their designees. Please send requests for ChartField attribute changes and inactivations to chartfield-request@osu.edu. Requests for security and workflow changes should be directed to the OIT Security team at access@osu.edu.

Review and Inactivation of Unused Chartfield Values

On an annual basis (generally in late fall), the Division of Accounting will run queries to identify Organizations and other ChartFields with no activity in the preceding year. Accounting will contact fiscal officers regarding these unused values and, as appropriate, will work with areas to inactivate them.

Chartfield Maintenance

The Division of Accounting sets up, modifies and inactivates ChartField values based on requests from senior fiscal officers and their designees. The only two exceptions are for the User Defined segment (which is maintained on-line by departmental GL users) and for OSURF Project values (7xxxxx and 313xxx), which are maintained via an OSURF interface to the University's GL.

To provide the information needed to set up a new ChartField value, fiscal officers or their designees fill out ChartField Request Forms, which are in an Excel workbook format. Requests for new Organizations also require a security Access form.

Please submit ChartField requests via e-mail to chartfield-request@osu.edu. Paper versions of this form will also be accepted via campus mail.


Revised: January 22, 2009