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October 2017

Upcoming November System Outages for Oracle Financials Systems - FINDINI 4.0.12 Release

October 12, 2017

This November 2017 FINDINI 4.0.12 release will be available to users on Monday November 20, 2017.

Short Summary:

The main focus of this release is to upgrade the Oracle Financials Database from version 11.2.0.4 to 12.1.0.2. This will ensure our database version is supported by Oracle for several years to come. We will also be patching the entire application suite with the latest Oracle EBS 12.1.3 RPC5 (Rollup Patch Collection Set 5) functional application patches. This RPC5 will bring our EBS application to the most current bug free state of functionality available in version 12.1.3. Not only will we get fixes to some existing bugs, but we will also get some new functionality that we can look into using to improve our business processes. Oracle can also support our application more efficiently and effectively at this current patching baseline level. ... Read more about Upcoming November System Outages for Oracle Financials Systems - FINDINI 4.0.12 Release

Modernization of Financial Reporting (MFR) Project Update

October 12, 2017

MFR “By the Numbers” – September 2017

  • 757: Number of distinct users that ran financial dashboards in OBI (~200 more than August!)
  • 35,689: Number of distinct requests made using the financial dashboards, almost half of which were made of the “Transaction Listing All” dashboard (14,226 requests).
  • 334: Number of individuals registered for the Introduction to OBI Financial Dashboard training
  • 750: Number of users who have completed training
  • 50%: Percentage of target audience who is trained on OBI.  If you are one of the other 50%, register for OBI training today!

CREW Decommissioning Update: New Decommission Date is December 15

The Modernization of Financial Reporting (MFR) Project Team has been working diligently with business leadership in the schools (specifically, the Financial Deans), its partners within the Data Management Services team and HUIT to improve the quality of the OBIEE (OBI) dashboards.  Through that process, project leadership has decided to set an updated CREW decommission date of December 15, 2017.  This grants the schools and units sufficient time for training on, and testing of, the dashboards and will allow the Project Team enough time to ensure that the showstopper needs are met. 

Until December 15, financial reports will be available in both CREW and OBI.  As of December 15, OBI will serve as the primary source for financial reporting.... Read more about Modernization of Financial Reporting (MFR) Project Update

HR Analytics & Reporting News and Highlights

October 12, 2017

As summer draws to a close, we hope you all enjoyed some fun in the sun and you are ready to welcome the cooler weather as the leaves begin to fall!

Many of you have contacted us with helpful feedback, questions, suggestions, and compliments. Please continue to let us know what is working well and what needs improvement! Simply contact the team at hrar-notify@calists.harvard.edu. 

Highlights

We are pleased to announce a new application called University Costing!

This application presents University-wide data about the workforce associated with distributed costing. The workforce effort is represented by the sum of the Distributed FTE for all active and paid appointments.... Read more about HR Analytics & Reporting News and Highlights

Updated Bank Accounts Policy

October 12, 2017
The Bank Accounts Policy has been updated with a policy revision date of 10/01/2017. Changes include slight modifications to Appendix A regarding reconciliation procedures and changes in Appendix B to reflect new tax filing forms and deadlines. 

Unrelated Business Income Tax Policy Information Session

October 12, 2017

Did you know that some income to Harvard is subject to income and sales tax? Did you know that advertising sales or catering for events may be taxable? The October Policy Information Session scheduled for Thursday, 10/26 from 11:00-12:00 in the Lamont Library Forum Room will review the Policy on Tax Compliance for External Income-Generating Activates in the U.S. (also known as the Unrelated Business Income Tax [UBIT]).

To attend, please send an email to financialpolicy@harvard.edu with the word “registration” in the subject line. The session will be open to all; please feel free to forward this invitation to others who may be interested. 

Definition of Receipts for Reimbursement

October 12, 2017
Even with the implementation of the electronic Concur Reimbursement System, Harvard must follow specific rules that comply with the IRS Accountable Plan to ensure reimbursements are not taxable to the recipient/reimbursee. One requirement is that a reimbursement request must be substantiated with receipts showing evidence of payment. New guidance and examples on what constitutes a receipt can be found here. 

Vendor Setup PSA (Policy Service Announcement)

October 12, 2017

Reminders when requesting new vendor type – Individual – Non US Citizen and selecting certain visa types:

  • If you know the individual will not be entering the U.S. – select NE – No Entry/No U.S. Presence. No GLACIER email will be sent to the individual.

  • If you know the individual will be entering the U.S., but do not know their VISA type, select NA – Not Available. This will trigger a GLACIER email to the individual. The vendor setup team (VST) will correct the visa type upon receipt of the GLACIER tax summary report and immigration documentation.

  • Prior to setting individuals up as a vendor, please be sure to confirm if an individual will or will not be entering the U.S. Selecting an incorrect visa type can result in a delay when activating new vendors. ... Read more about Vendor Setup PSA (Policy Service Announcement)

HCOM Receiving Threshold Change

October 12, 2017

Effective with the November 17 Oracle FINDINI release, receiving thresholds in HCOM will be adjusted to only require receiving (3-way match for payment) for all purchase orders (sponsored and non) $2,500 or greater. This change is consistent with several peer institutions and presents an opportunity for departments to realize greater administrative efficiencies for low dollar purchase order transactions. The new process has been reviewed and approved through Central Administration’s Financial Administration (including Strategic Procurement, Accounts Payable, Office for Sponsored Programs, Risk Management and Audit Services, and the Office of the Controller). Please see the Accounts Payable webpage found at https://oc.finance.harvard.edu/hcom-receiving-threshold for detailed information and FAQ’s regarding the change.