FAST Journal Transfers - Home - Finance...CSU FAST JOURNAL TRANSFER User Guide v1.7.docx (FOAP = FUND | ORGANISATION | ACCOUNT | PROGRAM) 2 BLANK If printing this user guide, please

CSU FAST JOURNAL TRANSFER User Guide v1.7.docx (FOAP = FUND | ORGANISATION | ACCOUNT | PROGRAM)

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FAST Journal Transfers

User Guide

Millennium FAST

The user guide was created using FAST Version 4.2.18


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BLANK

If printing this user guide, please print on both sides of the paper.


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CONTENTS

Introduction to FAST .................................................................................................. 4

What is FAST? .................................................................................................................. 4

Access ............................................................................................................................... 4

How to login....................................................................................................................... 4

Logging back in ................................................................................................................. 5

FAST Homepage ............................................................................................................... 5

FAST JOURNALS ...................................................................................................... 6

Creating FAST Journal for Journal Transfers ..................................................................... 6

1. Manual Journal Transfer ........................................................................................................................... 7

2. Excel Import Journal Transfer ................................................................................................................. 12

Returning to a Partially Completed Transfer (In Progress) ............................................... 15

Cancelling an Unapproved Journal Transfer .................................................................... 16

Submit for Approval ......................................................................................................... 16

Rejected Transfer ............................................................................................................ 17

When Does a Journal Transfer Appear in FAST Reporting? ............................................ 18

Checking the Status of a Submitted Transfer................................................................... 18

Reversing a Posted Journal Transfer .............................................................................. 19

APPENDIX A (i): Journal Types and Codes: FTL, JE15, FT01, IFT ................................. 20

APPENDIX A (ii): University Internal Service Providers as at January 2018 .................... 21

APPENDIX B: Fast Journal Transfer Icons ...................................................................... 22

APPENDIX C: Common Excel Import Errors ................................................................... 25

APPENDIX D: Fast Journal References .......................................................................... 27


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INTRODUCTION TO FAST

What is FAST?

FAST is the finance reporting portion of a data warehouse application from Millennium Computer

Systems. FAST accesses data from Banner Finance through a data warehouse that is refreshed

daily. It allows users to easily query current and historical financial data and produce standard and

ad hoc reports.

Reports can be downloaded to excel and PDF. They can also be “pinned” to preserve the selection

for future use. The Division of Finance has created a series of standard pinned reports for specific

user groups (Budget managers, Executive, etc.).

The data warehouse is refreshed at 5am daily. Accordingly, the information within FAST is

essentially from the previous day.

Access

Access to FAST is provided when Banner Finance access is established. The username and

password for FAST is the user’s normal CSU login and will update when passwords are changed.

To request access to the FAST journal module email [email protected]

How to login

The quick way is to type fast.csu.edu.au into your internet browser and then bookmark the page

that appears.

There is also a link to FAST on the Division of Finance webpage:

http://www.csu.edu.au/division/finserv

mailto:[email protected]

http://fast.csu.edu.au/

http://www.csu.edu.au/division/finserv


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Logging back in

When there is an immediate need to log back in, click on the Charles Sturt University logo in the

top left of the log out screen. This returns the use back to the login page.

FAST Homepage

Depending on access, the FAST home page may have several application options. This document

discusses the “Journal Vouchers” application. Click the 2. Journal Vouchers option.


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FAST JOURNALS

Please Note: These instructions are for Funds/Actuals transfers not Budget transfers.

Creating FAST Journal for Journal Transfers

To create a new Journal Transfer, click the option from the Journal

Transfer Menu.

A blank Journal Transfer form will open. The form will initially be displaying the transfer header entry

area. The header is essentially a tag for the rest for the Journal Transfer. All the fields with a red

asterisk (*) are mandatory. All journals are Single – do not change this option (most users log in

will not provide the options listed below).

Name Description

Document

Leave blank – this will auto populate when the document is created HINT: The Journal Transfer Number will auto-fill this box once the document is created.

Document

Type

Single Auto Reversing – Finance Use ONLY Recurring Dates – Finance Use ONLY

Effective Date

This is the effective date of the Journal. HINT: Defaults to the current date. Always ensure the date entered is in an Open Accounting Period

Trans Type

FTL (FAST defaults to FTL) FT01 IFT JE15 Refer to Appendix A: Journal Types and Codes

Reference

Refer to Appendix C: FAST Journal References HINT: Any reference provided in the document header will be applied to every line of the journal. Only enter a reference in the Document Header if the reference is applicable to the entire journal.

Document Title

Enter a relevant description. Try make this description less than 15 characters. The description acts as a reference for you should you need to leave FAST and access the journal again later.


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Click the Create Document button . This establishes the Journal Transfer. A

Journal Transfer Number (JTXXXXXX) will be assigned and the creator noted (displayed above the

document header). The data provided by FAST will differ between browsers. You will note the

Document box as auto-filled with the Journal Transfer Number.

There are two of ways the Journal transfer information can be entered:

1. Manually or Line by line

2. Uploaded from a template

1. Manual Journal Transfer

After creating the header, the lower section of the Journal Transfer form will be displayed.

Clicking the button creates a new blank transfer line. All the fields with a red

asterisk (*) are mandatory. Each line of the journal contains either a debit or a credit – not both.

So if you enter a debit line, the credit will be $0.00 and you will need to enter another line with a

credit entry to balance the journal.

Name Description

Description Enter the Description for the line being processed – maximum of 35 characters including punctuation and spaces

Type

Will auto-fill to that in the Document Header above. The journal type is applicable to the line of the journal you are entering and individual journal lines can be changed Refer to Appendix A: Journal Types and Codes


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Reference

Enter the Reference if applicable HINT: Any reference provided in the document header will be applied to every line of the journal. References on individual lines can be changed or deleted. Refer to Appendix C: FAST Journal References

Chart Chart 5 is automatically selected – DO NOT CHANGE

Fund | Org |

Acct | Prog

Use capital letters only (no lower case letters) If the code entered is not on the Chart of Accounts (or you use lower case) the following will appear and you will need to re-enter the code.

HINT: Use the search function to look up and check codes

Debit

To decrease ↓ an income acct To increase ↑ an expense acct

Note: if entering a debit amount, the credit column should be $0.00

Credit

To increase ↑ an income acct To decrease ↓ an expense acct

Note: if entering a credit amount, the debit column should be $0.00

a) The line below is increasing an expense account (ie debiting an expense account) by $100.00

Saves the current transfer line

Saves the current transfer line and adds a new transfer line.

Saves the current transfer line and allows you to edit the following transfer line

Closes the current transfer line allowing you to then delete the current transfer

line

HINT: A quick reference guide to the FAST Journal Icons is located in Appendix B

b) Enter the details for the next line manually. As you enter and save each line the following will appear:

Edit the current transfer line

Copies the current transfer line to the bottom of the journal


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Deletes the current transfer line

c) When the Journal is balanced, a message (Document is balanced.) is displayed in the bottom right

hand corner of the form.

If a journal is not balanced the following will appear:

All journals must be balanced (ie Sum of Debits = Sum of Credits). If your document does not

balance, you will need to review and update your data entry using the edit option.

d) Downloading to PDF

You can download the FAST Journal Transfer to pdf at any stage during the process. This allows

for easy review of all journal transfer lines. You can also save the pdf version of the FAST Journal

Transfer to a computer drive for reference at a later point in time:

e) Attach Additional Information

Upload supporting documentation by clicking on Attach Additional Information. Additional

Information may include an email requesting the journal, meeting minutes or a FAST transaction

listing. Documents in Word, Excel PDF Format, JPEG and Outlook emails can be attached to the

journal. You cannot drag and drop files into FAST Journals. You must save the file and then upload

using the file directory.


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Document Comments: a brief description if the attachment

Path to Document on your Computer: Click and locate the appropriate documents

and attach by double clicking on the file or clicking on Open.

Once attached the document path will insert to the FAST Journal Module:

Mark attachments confidential. If the journal involves salaries or more than 2 Organisation codes

mark the attachments confidential by ticking the box as below. If in doubt, mark as confidential.

Upload file by clicking

The attachments will be listed as below. Note: the attachments below are confidential.

f) Document Notes

To make additional notes for the Journal Approver or Ledgers click on Document Notes, include

your notes in the box provided and click on the button.


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indicates the notes have been saved to the FAST Journal.

g) Submit for Approval: When the transfer is finished click and follow the

Submit for Approval process.

2. Excel Import Journal Transfer

This method involves entering the Journal transfers into an Excel template and is best used when

entering 6 or more lines. The template can be downloaded after the Header has been created and

saved (see pg. 6-7).

a) Download the Excel Template

Click the Excel Import button at the bottom of the page. Then click the

Download Template button and click the jvDocument_Template.xls file name. This will

download the Excel file in which the Journal Transfer is entered. Depending on the computer

screen settings, the screen may need to scrolled-down to locate the Download Template button

and/or the template file.

After opening the Excel template file, the empty sheet will look like this:

The row containing the XXXX must remain. The FAST Journal Module requires this row for

processing.

b) Enter the Journal Data.

Note: There should be no blank rows contained in the journal data.


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Name Description

Trans Type

FTL FT01 IFT JE15 Refer to Appendix A: Journal Types and Codes

Chart 5

Fund | Orgn |

Acct | Prog

Use capital letters only

Actv |Locn Leave blank

Description Enter the appropriate description for the transfer line: maximum 35 characters including punctuation and spaces.

Reference Enter the Reference if applicable. Refer to Appendix C: FAST Journal References

Debit

To decrease ↓ an income acct To increase ↑ an expense acct

Note: if entering a debit amount, the credit column should be $0.00

Credit

To increase ↑ an income acct To decrease ↓ an expense acct

Note: if entering a credit amount, the debit column should be $0.00

Using the same data from the previous section, the Journal transfer would look like this in the

template:

c) Save the Excel Template to a known location. The file can be renamed for your reference. The

sheet / tab cannot be renamed, however sheet/tabs can be added to the Excel document.

d) Return to FAST Journal and the Transfer that was previously started. If the original page is still

open return to that page. If the original page is no longer open, log in and follow this sequence:

[Journal Transfers Open In Progress Select the Appropriate Journal]

e) Import the Excel Document

Click the Excel Import button. Click Browse, navigate to the saved template (from step c) and

select the file.


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Click the Next Import Step button . The Module will then validate the file:

If the file is valid the FAST Journal Module will notify you that the XL Import was completed

successfully. The upload will appear in the journal grid above and FAST will notify you:

i. An error message will appear if the file contains errors. A pdf file (blue hyperlink)

will also be generated, which highlights any issues with the file in red.

In the example above program 0000 is showing as 0. This is a formatting issue

and is addressed in the Appendix C: Common Excel Import Errors

ii. To fix the errors, open the Excel Import Document and make the necessary

changes. Then repeat the upload steps (c - e). HINT: Refer to Appendix C:

Common Excel Import Errors

iii. If successful the data grid will show all records imported and FAST will notify you:


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NB: Be careful to only upload the Excel Import File once. FAST will accept a second upload

however this results in the journal transactions being recorded in the journal twice (and potentially

processed twice).

f) Downloading to PDF

Review the journal by downloading it to a pdf format as per the Manual Journal Transfer

instructions on page 9.

g) Attach Additional Information

As in the Manual Journal Transfer Entry upload supporting documentation by clicking on Attach

Additional Information as per the Manual Journal transfer instructions on page 9. The Excel Import

Document imported in step e (above) must also be attached at this point.

h) Add Document Notes as per the Manual Journal Transfer Entry instructions on page 10.

i) Submit for Approval: When the transfer is finished, click and follow

the Submit for Approval process on page 15.

Returning to a Partially Completed Transfer (In Progress)

A transfer can be started and returned to, provided the document header record has been added and

saved (see page 6-7). To access a saved transfer:

From the top menu choose Documents Open In Progress choose the transfer from the list.

This opens the transfer in its last saved state.

This can also be achieved through the front menu by clicking on the appropriate journal the option

below:


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Cancelling a Partially Completed Journal Transfer

A transfer can only be cancelled by Ledgers. If you would like a Journal Transfer cancelled email

[email protected] with the Subject line: JTXXXXXXXX Cancel Request. The email must include

your reason for cancelling the journal for auditing purposes.

Please Note: Once the transfer has been cancelled, it cannot be retrieved.

Submit for Approval

When the Journal transfer is ready to go, click the Submit for Approval button

Journal approval is required from the Budget Center being debited in the journal transfer. The Budget

Centre being debited are transferring goods or funds to another Budget Centre within the University.

The following screen will appear with 2 approval options:

The approval can be sent to:

a) An individual employee for approval. To provide approval the employee must be on the

Financial Delegations Approver Listing for the Organisation code being debited. You can find

an employee on the Financial Delegations Approver Listing in FAST by searching for their

name using the magnifying glass. Clicking on the star symbol will save the approver selected

to your favorites list for future journals

When debiting more than one Organisation code you will need to split the journal

(creating more than one journal) for each Financial Delegate to approve the

Organisation code being debited.

b) A Department for review and approval. To provide approval the Department must have

oversight on the Budget Centre being debited (for example FOBJBS has oversight over the

School of Computing and Mathematics). Select the appropriate Department from the drop

down menu:

a)

b)

mailto:[email protected]

https://online.csu.edu.au/Inter/Action?A=B&B=delegations&run=RESULTS&orgn=900&id=&pidm=ALL


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Faculty Department Journals

Faculty Journals are journals where a Faculty Budget Centre is being debited. Faculty Journals

should be submitted to the appropriate Faculty Department. The Faculty Department consists

of the Faculty Executive Officer and the Faculty Finance Officer. Faculty staff (including

Administration Officers to HOS) are expected to use this option.

Research Department Journals

Research Journals are journals which include an R Fund code. Research Journals should be

submitted to the Research Department, consisting of the Research Office Finance Officer.

Division Journals

Division journals should be submitted to the appropriate individual employee as per the

instructions above unless the journal is a CSU Service Provider Journal (see below).

CSU Service Provider Journals

The CSU Service Providers are listed in Appendix A (ii). When submitting a journal on behalf

a CSU Service Provider the journal is submitted to the Ledgers Department. CSU Service

Providers are expected to hold all approvals for internal charges/recoveries to other CSU

Organisations within their own offices.

Add brief notes into the Enter Additional Comments Here section outlining the reason for the Journal

Transfer. These notes will be viewed by anyone reviewing the journal and are able to be downloaded

once the journal is posted to Banner / FAST. FAST will forward these notes to the journal approver via

the email detailed in the paragraph below. These notes should be concise and professional.

After clicking Submit, an automatically generated email will be sent to the approver letting them know

there is a Journal Transfer awaiting their review/approval. Once the Journal Transfer has been

approved or rejected, another email will be sent notifying the creator of this.

FAST Journal Instructions for Approvers as located on the FAST homepage.

Rejected Transfer

When a Journal Transfer is rejected, you will receive an email notifying you with comments for the

reason for the rejection. Either click the link in the email to open FAST Journal Transfer or navigate to

FAST Journal Transfer Manually.

Open the rejected transfer (Document Open Rejected Select Appropriate Journal) and make

any necessary changes. If you are submitting a large journal (uploaded to FAST via the Excel Import

function) Delete All Line Items: , and delete the attached Excel Import file.

Update the Excel Import file with the corrections and re-attach prior to submitting for approval once

more. Resubmit the transfer for approval using the same process outlined in the previous section.


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When Does a Journal Transfer Appear in FAST Reporting?

When the Journal Transfer has been approved by all parties and posted by Ledgers you will receive an

email stating it has been posted.

At this stage the Journal Transfer is put into the overnight processing. The transfer should appear in

Banner and FAST the next day.

Checking the Status of a Submitted Journal Transfer

You can view a Journal Transfer at any stage during the approval process, allowing you to determine

who is currently reviewing the journal.

Journals progress through the approvals process in the following order:

1. Creator (the person who enters the journal data)

2. Faculty Department (the Faculty Finance Officer and the Faculty Executive Officer)

3. Ledgers Department

4. Central Approver (posts the journal to Banner)

You can view a Journal Transfer at any point during this process:

Document Status Execute Report


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All journals created by you in the FAST Journals module will be listed. The list below shows journals

submitted by various users, your list will only show journals you have submitted:

In the list above:

JT004661 (row 1): has been created by J Leary and has been submitted to Central Approver

for final approval and posting to Banner

JT004656 (row 6): has been submitted to the Faculty of Science Department for review. From

here the journal progresses to Ledgers

JT004655 (row 7): has been created by N Harris and has been submitted to Ledgers for final

approval and posting to Banner. From here the journal progresses to the Central Approver

JT004549 (row 13): has been created by N Harris and has been submitted to Ledgers for review

and approval. From here the journal progresses to the Central Approver

JT004645 (row 17): is complete and has posted to Banner (note the posting date which

confirms this)

Reversing a Posted Journal Transfer

The only way to reverse a posted Journal Transfer is to submit another Journal Transfer, which will

reverse what has already been approved. For example, to reverse the journal transfer below:

Initial Transfer

Reversing Transfer

NB: Debits and credits are around the opposite way to the original transfer

This will result in a zero balance in this account that can be drilled into with Finance Reporting

showing both the original and reversing transactions.


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APPENDIX A (i): Journal Types and Codes: FTL, JE15, FT01, IFT

There are 4 possible journals types to select from when using the FAST journal module. The FAST module defaults to FTL. You will need to check which journal type to use by following the flowchart below. The type of journal used is determined by the Fund and Account codes used in the transactions. The Organisation (Org) and Program (Prog) codes do not influence this process.

_________________________________________________________________________

Are you submitting a

journal on behalf of CSU

Internal Service Provider?

(see list on following page)

IFT

X expense account used

with a 600 income account

No FT01

Different account codes

Different fund codes

JE15

Fund codes must be the

same

Account codes should be

different

Yes Are you using the

SAME fund code on

both sides of the

transfer?

FTL

Account codes must

be the same

Are you using the

SAME account code

on both sides of the

transfer?

Yes

No

Yes

Has Ledgers instructed

you to use the Journal

Type IFT?

Yes

Follow the flow chart above

to select the appropriate

journal type

No


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APPENDIX A (ii): University Internal Service Providers as at January 2018

CSU has various Internal Service Providers as listed below. Ledgers will have advised you if you are a

CSU Internal Service Provider. CSU Internal Services Providers submit journals which debit numerous

organisations codes, however approval from those Organisation codes has already been sought, so

the journal can be submitted directly to the Ledgers Department.

Some CSU Internal Service Providers will submit IFT journal types when providing Internal Services

within CSU (eg catering, printing, graphic design). These journals use an X expense account code to

debit or charge the area receiving the goods/service; and an internal recovery account (600 account)

code to credit the area providing the goods/service. Ledgers will have advised you previously if the

journal you are submitting is an IFT Journal Type.

- Residence Life

- Food Beverage Services

- Catering & Events

- CPD

- CSU Print

EASTS Printing

DLT Printing

- EDM and DLT Media Services

- Exams

Invigilation

Printing

- Marketing Posters/Flyers

- DFM Management Fees

- Computer Shop Sales/Leases

- Transport

Commercial

Pool Vehicles

Exec Private Use Rebates

- CSU Training

- Dentistry

- Veterinary

- Environment Analytics Lab

- Winery

- Farm

- CSCS

- Telephone and Communications

- DFM

- Recruitment Advertising

- Scholarships

- Multi-Function Device Use and Paper

- Mini Mart

- Stock Transfers

- Mailroom

Postage

TNT


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APPENDIX B: Fast Journal Transfer Icons

The following table details the icons used in the FAST Journal Module.

ICON Description Use Page

To begin a new FAST Journal Transfer Creating a New Journal Transfer

6

Creates a new Journal Transfer and generates a Journal Number (JT) Creating a New Journal Transfer

7

Adds a new blank transfer line Data Entry 7

Deletes every transfer line in the journal Data Entry 8

Saves the current transfer line Data Entry 8

Saves the current row and adds another blank transfer line for data entry

Data Entry 8

Saves the current transfer line and allows you to edit the following transfer line

Data Entry 8

Closes the current row allowing you to then delete the current transfer line

Data Entry 8

Allows you to edit the current transfer line Data Entry 8

Copies the current transfer line to the bottom of the Journal Data Entry 8


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Deletes the current transfer line

Data Entry 8

To attach supporting documentation Attach Additional Information 9

Browse the network drives for the document to be uploaded

Attach Additional Information Import the Excel Document

10

Ticking this box means the support document is confidential - other users will not be able to view it when using FAST reporting

Attach Additional Information 10

Uploads the supporting documentation form the Path on the network Attach Additional Information 10

Cancels the upload of the supporting documentation Attach Additional Information

To upload additional supporting documentation Attach Additional Information 10

The attachment listed on this line is confidential - other users will not be able to view it when using FAST reporting


Deletes the attachment


To attach make Document Notes for the approver or Ledgers

Document Notes 10

Deletes the Document Notes

Document Notes 10

To import an excel file containing journal data

Download Excel Template Import the Excel Document

11 13


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Allows FAST to validate the data in the Excel data file and import each line to the journal transfer grid

Import the Excel Document 13

Provides a list of invalid data contained in the Excel Import Document, highlighted in red.

Import the Excel Document 13

Forward you to the next page and begins the process of sending the journal via FAST to the approver

Submit for Approval 15

Select this option if you are submitting the journal transfer to an individual on the Financial Delegations Approver Listing for the ORG code being debited


To search for the individual referred to in the row above Hint: Search by Last Name. Only those individuals with Financial Delegation Approver Authority for the ORG code being DEBITED will be listed


Adds the individual selected to your favorites list You won’t need to search for them next time you submit a journal for their approval.


Select this option if you are submitting the journal transfer to a Department If you are a member of a Faculty, submit to your Faculty Department


Select the Department who will review the Journal Transfer Submit for Approval 15

Returns user to the journal data entry page. Any information on the current page will need to be re-entered if you click on this icon


Submits the journal to the approver Submit for Approval 15


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APPENDIX C: Common Excel Import Errors

There are a number of errors which may occur when importing the Excel document to Fast. The error list can be downloaded to a pdf file for your review:

The pdf report lists each line that contains an error, the error(s) will be highlighted red as below:

Error Solution

File to upload must be an MS Excel file Re-save the Excel Import file as an (*.xls) file and upload again

Use of Lower Case Letters (line 2 above) Replace all lower case letters with upper case letters

Program 0000 showing as program 0 (line 1 & 2 above) When entering program 0000 in excel insert ‘ prior to the 4 zeros ie ‘0000 in the Excel cell

Too many characters in the description The description contains a maximum of 35 characters including all punctuation and spaces

Too many characters in the reference The reference contains 8 characters only

Invalid Code Used that is not listed on the Chart of

Accounts Review the code against the Chart of Accounts: https://finance.csu.edu.au/policies

XXXX is contained in a cell other than the first line of

the Excel Import file

XXXX is to remain on the top line of the Excel Import File and should not appear anywhere else in the Excel Import File

https://finance.csu.edu.au/policies


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XXXX has been removed from the first line of the Excel

Import File

XXXX is to remain on the top line of the Excel Import File. The FAST Journal Module requires this for processing

Debit and Credit cell are both equal to zero on the

same transfer line Each transfer line must have either a debit or a credit value allocated to it. If the line is not necessary, delete the line

Debit and Credit value have been entered on the

same transfer line Each line must contain either a debit OR a credit value but NOT both. Separate the lines, ensuring the journal still balances (ie. DEBITS = CREDITS)


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APPENDIX D: Fast Journal References

The reference field is used when the entry you are making relates to another document/entry within the

CSU Finance system. The reference field refers users (CSU users, auditors, etc) to the original document in

the Finance system in the event that additional information is required. The reference field is required to

be completed when processing a correction to a coding error. The number inserted into the reference field

is the Document number of the original entry in FAST/Banner as highlighted below:

If you were completing a journal that altered/corrected one of the transactions above you would need to

record the Document number in the reference field.

The reference field can be completed at various points during the FAST journals process.

1. When entering the header:

NOTE: If you enter a reference in the Document Header this reference will be produced in every line of

the journal, as such, it is best used when the one reference is applicable to every line of the journal.

2. When entering each line of the journal:

NOTE: Best used when you are making numerous corrections.

3. When entering data in the Excel Import file for large journals: