Articles

Multi-Year Requisition Processing for Purchasing Customers

This document discusses procedures for setup of multi-year processing in Escape, which is the ability to manage requisitions for two fiscal years simultaneously. This setup normally occurs in April or early May each year.

Overview

Toward the end of a fiscal year, users need to work in both the current and coming fiscal year. Escape has a way for our customers to do this. This process allows you to work on next year's requisitions before the current year ends. We call this Multi-Year Requisition Processing, and this document outlines how to set this up. We also describe how to "turn off" multi-year processing when you wish to cut off requisitions from a prior fiscal year.

NOTE: We strongly suggest that the System Manager and Purchasing supervisors work together in setting up these records.

Setting Up Multi-Year Processing

Below are the steps to implement multi-year processing of requisitions. They are described in detail in the following pages.

TIP: There is a quick reference checklist provided at the end of this document for those who already understand the multi-year process and just require a "refresher" course.

  1. Run CSRT.
  2. Run CHKACCTS.
  3. Create next year's accounts.
  4. Create new requisition and PO numbering sequences for next year.
  5. Turn Multi Year Processing on for each appropriate requisition type.
  6. Try it out!

After you have completed these steps, you will find procedures for turning off Multi-Year Processing at the end of this FYI.

Step 1 - Run CSRT

Ask all users to exit the system. The system must be locked down before you run CSRT!

This step is to use CSRT to rebuild your account keys. If it detects duplicate keys, it will create *.BLD files. These files will then be used by the CHKACCTS utility to ensure the integrity of your accounts.

First, you want to check to see if there are any BLD files from previous CSRT runs. If so, please delete these files at this time. Now, run CSRT on the *.dat files in the current fiscal year \ESCAPE\fyxx directory before you run CHKACCTS to verify the integrity of the Clarion data keys. If CSRT generates any BLD files, you should contact Escape Customer Care before proceeding.

Step 2 - Run CHKACCTS

CHKACCTS is a utility that checks the integrity of each account data file in the Escape database, as well as the relationship between the various account data files. If any errors are found an error file will be generated in the new Fiscal Year directory. For detailed information on how to run this program, see the CHKACCTS FYI.

NOTE: DO NOT proceed with Step 3 until Escape Customer Care has reviewed any error files!

Step 3 - Create Next Year's Accounts

Now you are ready to create next year's account records. To do this, sign into the CHART module. The easiest and most efficient way to create the accounts is to copy the entire current year's chart of accounts. This is very important and must be done before you go to the next step. Following is a listing of tasks required for creating next year's accounts.

NOTE: If you are changing your account structure, DO NOT continue with these steps until you speak with your Customer Support Representative!

Copying Accounts to the New Year

The first step in creating accounts for the new year is to lock Escape. NO USERS CAN BE SIGNED IN DURING THIS PROCESS. This is necessary for a few minutes while you are copying the Chart of Accounts. Once Escape is locked, go to the Account Structure Setup screen for the current year. From the Chart Main Menu, choose Account Structure. Then press ENTER to edit the current Account Structure. From this screen, select Create New Fiscal Year.

A dialog box will appear like the one below and prompt you for the year to copy from and to. For example, to copy all accounts, enter 2009 and 2010 to copy accounts from 2008/2009 to 2009/2010 fiscal year similar to  the example below. Then press F3 to start the process. Escape will create a new sub-directory and copy all account files to the new year.

As files are created, you will see messages appear on the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. This process creates a new sub-directory and a handful of data files, and rebuilds the account keys. It should only take a few minutes. When it is complete, press F3 to save the Account Structure screen and return to the list. Before unlocking Escape, make sure you can obtain a list of accounts for the new fiscal year and are able to edit them without a problem. Once that is done, you may unlock Escape and allow users back into the system.

If you receive any other error messages, including any that indicate access denied or that Escape was unable to create a new sub-directory, please stop and report them immediately to your System Manager, since they may indicate insufficient network authority by your network User ID!

NOTE: This process will delete accounts that do not have any activity in the "new" fiscal year and have been expired for more than three years. For example, if you are rolling forward from 2009 to 2010, and you have an account that was expired in 2007 (new fiscal year minus 3) AND that account does not have any activity in 2009 (manually added but never used in a requisition, journal entry, etc.), the account would be deleted.

TIP: If you created new accounts in the current fiscal year, you should repeat the copying process again. The copying process will skip the accounts that have already been copied and only copy those that are new. You should repeat the copy procedure just before beginning multi-year requisition processing.

Step 4 - Create New Req & PO Numbering Sequences

Most districts change the requisition and PO numbering each year. The numbering sequences used for the most part include the fiscal year to which the requisition is related. For example, all standard POs might start with "P05-." If you want to change the numbering sequences for requisitions or POs, now is the time to do it. Start by signing into the P2 module.

From the Main Menu, choose the Setup option, then choose the Requisition Types menu choice. You will see a list of all requisition types for your district. Highlight the first requisition type you wish to set up for multi-year processing and press ENTER.

Automatic Requisition Numbering

If your district uses automatic requisition numbering - allowing Escape to assign requisition numbers - you will be able to press TAB and move your cursor down to the REQ SEQUENCE field. If your cursor jumps over the REQ SEQUENCE field, then the field ASK FOR REQ # has a "Y" in it, meaning that Escape prompts the user for a requisition # when they add a new requisition. If this is the case, see the sub-section entitled Manual Requisition Numbering.

Now you are ready to alter the numbering sequences. We'll explain only one here. From the REQ SEQUENCE field, you can edit each numbering sequence you wish to change for the coming fiscal year (even if you aren't ready to allow users to create those types of requisitions, you can get a jump on things and enter the new numbering sequence now).

Press SHIFT-ENTER in the REQ SEQUENCE field and a lookup window will appear for the Requisition Numbering Sequence. Press CTRL-ENTER to edit the sequence. A small red warning message will appear, informing you that as you are editing this record, others who are trying to use the record will be "locked out." So, try to do this setup after hours or, if that's not possible, work as quickly as you can! The resulting screen is shown below.

Move the cursor down to the FISCAL YEAR field and enter the coming fiscal year.

Make sure that you do NOT edit the column for the current fiscal year!

Then, move through the form field by field.

Below is a short description of each field in the sequence record:

    MENU TEXT: Enter text (up to 16 characters) which you would like to appear when users choose to add a new Purchase Order. You might see something like 2009 Req or PO in one side and 2010 Req or PO in the other.

    TIP: The menu text in the left hand column will be the first (top) choice in the Multi-Year option box for creating a new req.

    ACTIVE FLAG: Enter a "Y" here to activate this numbering scheme. If this field is blank, the numbering scheme will not be active or accessible to the users when the multi-year processing flag is activated.

    BEGINNING STRING: Enter the string that you want to appear as the start of your Requisition numbers. A Beginning String is a great way to differentiate between req types and Fiscal Years. For example, a Standard PO Req created in the 2009 Fiscal Year could have a beginning string of R04-. The "R" signifies the standard Req, and the 04 is the last two digits of the Fiscal Year. You may include a dash or other special character as necessary. Other common beginning strings are "BR04-" (Blanket Req) or just "04" to signify the Fiscal Year.

    STARTING SEQ #: This is the starting number for your requisitions. Although you may start with any number you'd like, it's probably a good idea to keep it simple and enter a 1. Make sure not to change the current year's starting sequence number!

    NOTE: You can only revert back to a 1 in your Current Value field if you are using beginning strings! Contact your Support Representative for more information.

    ENDING SEQ #: Enter a large ending sequence #, like 99,999. This is the largest PO number which can be created for the fiscal year you are entering. For example, a req number with a Beginning String of "R05-", a Starting Seq# of "1", and an Ending Sequence of "99999" will look like this on the first req created for that Fiscal Year: R05-00001.

    INCREMENT: It is very important that this is a "1", so that Requisition or PO numbers will increase one number at a time.

    CURRENT VALUE: Leave this at 0 (zero). Make sure not to change the current year's value!

    WIDTH: Enter the width of the numeric portion of the PO #. This does NOT include the pre-string! The width MUST match the number of 9's in the Ending Sequence Field. Our example has 5 9's; therefore, the width will be set at 5. You want to make the width consistent in all Requisitions and POs, so that they are easier to select.

Press F3 to save and return to the lookup window. Then press ENTER to select the requisition sequence you were editing and return to the requisition type record.

PO Numbering Sequence

Once you have finished the requisition sequence, you will need to set up the PO numbering sequence for next year as well. So, press PgDn until you move to the PO Setup page of the requisition type record. Move your cursor to the PO NUMBER SEQUENCE field as shown below.

The PO sequence record is shown below:

Set up the PO number sequence the same way you set up the Requisition number sequence in the section Automatic Requisition Numbering above.

If your district does not have any requisitions or POs that require a manually entered number or you do not use the Online 4 product, then proceed to Step 5.

Manual Requisition Numbering and Setup for Escape Online

If any of your requisition numbering is manual (i.e., you manually enter the number of the requisition when you first create the req) or you are an Escape Online user, then you must do something a little different. Sign into the P2 module. Choose the Setup menu choice, then press ENTER on Purchasing Setup. You will see the screen shown below:

Move your cursor to the field MENU #1 and enter the text you wish the user to see for the current year's requisition and in the field FISCAL YR #1 enter the current fiscal year. In the MENU #2 and FISCAL YR #2, enter the coming fiscal year. An example is shown above, where the current year is fiscal 2008/2009 and the coming fiscal year is 2009/2010. The text contained in the Menu #1 and Menu #2 fields will appear in the option box when starting a new req (Menu #1 on top, #2 below). Enter the appropriate data for the current fiscal year.  When you have finished, press F3 to save your changes.

Step 5 - Turn on Multi-Year Processing

You must return to the first page of the Requisition Type record (the Req Setup page) shown below.

To turn on Multi-Year Processing, press TAB until your cursor lands in the MULTI-YR ON field. Enter a "Y" and press ENTER. Now press F3 to save the record.

NOTE: If you are using multi-year processing for warehouse requisitions, you MUST turn off auto-issue and auto-expense. (AUTO ISSUE/RETURN flag must be blank.)

Step 6 - Try it out!

Sign into one of the Escape modules (S2 or P2) and try to create a requisition. You should be prompted for which fiscal year you desire as shown in the screen below. Select the year you want by using the up and down arrow keys and press ENTER. The appropriate requisition numbering will be assigned for you. Also check the contents of the parentheses that are located in the top left hand corner under the FILE menu box. Make sure that the correct Fiscal Year is displayed there.

TIP: You should try and create one requisition for each fiscal year of each type of requisition to ensure that all set up - the requisition # and the fiscal year - are correct.

Turning off Requisition Multi-Year Processing

After the start of the new fiscal year, you'll want to cut off the requisitions from the prior year. When the agreed upon cut off date is reached, there are three things that you will need to do:

  • Change the Default Fiscal Year
  • Turn Off Multi-Year Processing
  • Close Out Back Orders

Change the Default Fiscal Year

Now that you will ONLY be creating requisitions for the new fiscal year, you can update your default fiscal year. Sign in to the SYSMNGR module, pull down the System Setup menu, choose Module Setup, then press enter on AP Setup. The first field on this screen is CURRENT DEFAULT FISCAL YEAR. Simply enter the new current fiscal year and press F3.

Turn off Multi-Year Processing

Be sure all users understand that no more reqs can be entered for the previous Fiscal Year. Then sign into P2, edit each Requisition Type that you'd like to "cut off" and remove the Multi-Year Processing flag. In other words, TAB down to the MULTI-YEAR ON field and remove the Y. Now save the record with F3.

From now on, the users will only be able to create requisitions for one fiscal year. However, in an emergency you can turn the multi-year back on and make the old numbering sequence active again.

Close Out Back Orders

  1. Print a detail back order report for all items for date range of 7/1/xx through today. The Back Order Report is found in the Miscellaneous Reports menu choice. This will show all back orders. If you have any backorders older than that, then specify an older start date. We suggest organizing the report by Site and choosing ALL sites.

    TIP: Print another back order detail report for all items, but sort it by Category instead of Site. This copy could be your file copy. The advantage of this report is that it has all back orders for an item listed together, along with requisition numbers, too.

  2. Obtain a screen list of all requisitions in the status BACK ORDER. There should be a menu choice that allows you to choose by Status Back Order.

    TIP: Print a requisition list report that shows all of the requisitions on your screen list. This can be filed with the back order report and used as a cross-reference.

  3. Edit each requisition on the list and un-issue only the back order quantity for back ordered items. Remember, to UN-issue or reverse an issue, simply enter the desired quantity in the issuing list and a negative sign after. When you post the issues, Escape will reverse the issue quantity thereby deleting the back order. So, if you have an item where 10 were ordered, 2 were issued and 8 went on back order, to reverse the back order, enter an 8 then a "-" and post issues. The back order for eight will be deleted!

    After reversing the back orders, return to the "Req" page and the status of the requisition should go to APPROVED.

  4. Now change the line item quantity for those items that you changed in step 3 to match the actual quantity issued. Press F3 to save the line item change. Press F4 to return to the Req page. Tab through the account dollar amount fields. The status of the requisition should go to COMPLETE.

    When you have finished, press F3 to save your changes, or F8 to save your changes and go to the next requisition on the list.

  5. After you un-issue all the requisitions on back order and want to check your work, re-print the back order report. No transactions should be found!

Requisition Multi-Year Processing Quick Reference Checklist

If you are NOT changing your account structure, you can use this checklist. Otherwise, please read the entire FYI to avoid any future problems with your accounts!

√ What To Do Where To Do It How To Do It
  Run CSRT to verify the Clarion data file integrity Dos prompt Run it on all *.dat files in the \ESCAPE\2009 directory. Remember to delete *.BLD files before running.
  Run CHKACCTS to verify account file integrity Dos prompt See the CHKACCTS Utility FYI
  Create next year's accounts Chart (lock system) Accounts, Account Structure, press ENTER on current fiscal year's structure, New Fiscal Year, Create New Fiscal Year, enter in 2009 and 2010, hit F3.
  Determine which req types will allow multi-year processing P2 View list of req types under Setup, Req type setup.
  Create new Req Sequences P2 Setup, Req Type Setup, press ENTER on previously decided req type, press CTRL-Enter twice on REQ SEQUENCE, press ENTER on the red box. Edit the appropriate fields (see sequence section for details). Press F3, then ENTER. If this req becomes a PO, go to next step. If not, hit F3 and go to next Req Type.
  Create new PO Sequences P2 From Req Type setup, page down three times to PO Setup screen. Press CTRL-Enter twice on PO NUMBER SEQUENCE, press ENTER on red box. Edit the appropriate fields (see sequence section for details). Press F3, then press ENTER. Press F3 to save, go to next req type.
  Setup Manual Req Numbering and/or Escape Online Numbering (if applicable) P2 Setup, Purchasing Setup, fill out the bottom section of the screen, press F3.
  Turn on Multi-Year Processing P2 Setup, Req Type Setup, enter each req that requires Multi-Year Processing and place a "Y" in the MULTI YEAR ON field. Press F3 to save or F8 to save and go to the next req on the list.

All finished with Multi-Year Processing? Follow the steps below!

√ What To Do Where To Do It How To Do It
  Change the default fiscal year Sysmngr System Setup, Module Setup, AP Setup. First field is default fiscal year. Change to 2010 and press F3.
  Turn off Multi-Year Processing P2 Setup, Req Type Setup, enter each req that had Multi-Year Processing on and remove the "Y" in the MULTI YEAR ON field. Press F3 to save or F8 to save and go to the next req on the list.
  Close Out All Back Orders P2 Run Back Order report, list all back orders, edit each requisition and un-issue backorders, change the line item quantity to the amount issued and tab through the account dollar amounts. Press F3 to save or F8 to save and go to the next req on the list.