Overview
This article provides high level overview of UCSD's Chart of Accounts (COA) and the combination that creates chartstrings to create transactions in Oracle Financial Cloud (OFC).
Essential Information
About Chartstrings
- A chartstring in OFC consists of 12 segments and all segments must have a value, a zero value is a value.
- The order of a chartstring is Entity > Fund > Financial Unit > Account > Function > Program > Location > Project > Activity > InterEntity > Future1 > Future2.
- Chart string values are primarily numeric, defined lengths, separated by periods (.), and have no spaces. For additional information, refer to General Ledger Chart String.
- The four chartstring segments that must have a value other than 0 are: Entity, Fund, Financial Unit and Account.
- InterEntity, Future1 and Future 2 must have 0 values, e.g. 00000.000000.000000.
- The chartstring determines where a transaction posts in the General Ledger (GL).
- If the Project segment has a value other than 0000000, the COA segments are determined from the initial set up of the Project.
- Use the Project COA Lookup Report for segments that must be used with a specific Project. Report information is below
Cross Validation Rules (CVRs)
- CVRs are in OFC to prevent certain invalid combinations of chart strings from being used.
- The intention of CVRs is to:
- Simplify the selection of strings.
- Prevent accidental errors in selecting incompatible strings between segments.
- If a CoA string violates one of the CVRs, you will get an error message or will not be able to proceed.
- Refer to KB0032302: What are Cross Validation Rules (CVRs)?
About POETAF
- POETAF includes some required information for Projects in the Oracle Project Portfolio Management (PPM) module, which is a subledger of the GL.
- PPM is primarily a module for tracking/reporting on costs, billing and contract revenue against project budgets.
- Sponsored Research Projects are the only Projects that have Award numbers and Funding Sources associated with their Projects.
- For additional information, refer to Overview of Project Portfolio Management (PPM) with Attached PPM User Guide
About UCPath
- UCPath requires the OFC GL chart string (12 segments) plus PTF (Project, Task, Funding Source from POETAF above).
- UCPath is a system that interfaces with OFC.
- Data in UCPath is unique and it needs to be compatible in OFC in order for a successful interface between the two systems.
- The Fund that is entered is a unique Fund specifically for UCPath processing (cap, cost transfers, etc.).
- In order for OFC and UCPath to be able to transfer data to each other the Project and Task must be active.
- The Fund entered in UCPath must be correctly associated to the Project and Task in Oracle.
- A Funding Source number is only needed for Sponsored Projects.
- Zero values in UCPath are to be left blank, unlike GL chartstring requires zero values.
Additional information on POETAF and UCPath can be found here
Important Reports
Use the reports on Business Analytics Hub under Information Lookups for the following:
1) To see the COA segments and POETAF chartstring values for Projects, go to:
- Project Information Lookup Panorama
2) To view all available values and the hierarchy of a segment in a chartstring, go to:
- Chart of Accounts Panorama