Journal Workflow: Frequently Asked Questions

Anyone with a valid University network credentials.

You can access the production link through DrexelOne portal under the Employee Tab, Admin Tools and Resources section.

Yes, the test environment link is: challenger.irttest.drexel.edu/FinanceToolbox.

You have to copy and paste this link into your browser. This will ask you to authenticate like the Office 365 email applications.

Yes, the two preferred Web Browsers are Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.

Yes.

No, unfortunately, the tool will only allow you to select one Chart. You will have to contact General Accounting, acct11@drexel.edu, to process any transfers across entities.

Yes, Journal Workflow 3.0 added this feature. Please select from the available salary options under the Non-Research Budgets header in the Journal drop-down menu. For questions related to this feature, please reach out to a Budget Office Representative or budget@drexel.edu.

Yes, Journal Workflow 3.0 added this feature. Please select from the available non-salary options under the Non-Research Budgets header in the Journal drop-down menu. For questions related to this feature, please reach out to hris@drexel.edu.

Yes, you can download the Journal Template under the Tools menu at the top of the page. Note: This template does not require Program Codes (recent enhancement).

What fields are required in the Journal Template excel file?

Template required fields: Fund, Org, Account, Debit/Credit, Description.

Where do I upload the Journal Template once saved and closed?

After you select chart and journal Type, you can upload the template by selecting upload journal entry under the Menu bar in the Journal section.

There is no limit to the number of Fund/Orgs that you can submit on one entry. If it makes sense to include and relates to the journal entry general description, you can combine into one entry. However, when you select many Fund/Orgs that have different approvers attached to them, it may cause a delay in getting the required approvals.

When doing account code corrections (moving an expense that was charged to the incorrect account) or processing Designated fund transfers, you need to reference the Trnsfr to/fr (Fund/Org/Acct) so that way it is clear when reviewing in WebFinance where the monies came from or went to.

Example:

 

No documentation is required for Service Department Charges (Journal Type of Service Department Charges must be selected; limit to 4xxx/8xxx accounts) and Fund transfer entries (using transfer account codes 7xxx). Note: Even though it is not required, your approver for Funding transfers may want to see support, and therefore, the tool will allow you to still attach support to these types of journals.

The type of documentation depends on the journal entry you are processing.

The most common type of journal entry that requires documentation is an account code correction. An account code correction journal is simply moving a charge from one FOAPAL to another. For this type of journal, the required documentation is the account detail view through WebFinance showing the detail of the transaction of which you are moving into an updated FOAPAL. Note: If this is a transaction correction involving grant funds, Research Accounting may require additional information in addition. Please contact RAS for more information.

Other types of journals, such as accruals, prepaids, etc., should attach relevant documentation such as invoices as support.

Is there a limit to how many files that I can attach?

There is a limit of five files that can currently be attached to one journal.

Are there any excluded file formats that are not allowed to be uploaded as support documents?

No, but we do caution you to not upload uncommon file types that would require a license specific program to open. Most common file formats encouraged are: Word, Excel, PDF, JPG, PNG.

When you are submitting a month-end or year-end accrual entry, it is important to create a reversing entry directly following the submission of the accrual. The accrual and/or deferred entry generally should be dated the last day of the period you are processing the entry for, and the related reversal entry should be dated the first day of the preceding month. This best practice of dating the entries in this format allows it to easily be identified during the reconciliation process of the balance sheet accounts.

When you select Service Department Charges as your journal type: 1) it will ensure the proper accounts are being used (service department charges are limited to 4xxx/8xxx accounts); and 2) it will bypass the need for supporting documentation as well as departmental approvals since these are internal charges.

Under My Journals box in the upper left portion of the tool, select the blue hyperlink of the related JW Document ID. This will bring up the Workflow Path window; select Show All box to expand the view to see the approvers needed. Note: Each Fund/Org debit will create a sub-total box that will require an approver to sign-off. Under each of these boxes, only one is required to approve (a check mark next to the name indicates this has been approved). Once all Fund/Org boxes have received approval, this flows to the Back Office for processing. Note: Once you see a check mark under Back Office box, this does not mean that it has been posted, it still requires manager approval in order for it to be viewable on WebFinance.

Yes, you will receive an email notification once this journal has been posted. Please note that it is on a scheduler that is set up to run certain times each day, so this is not an immediate notification.

Currently, all history is available as of June 2018, when 2.0 release was introduced. When we released Journal Workflow 2.0, we migrated any journals with a saved or pending status. Note: There may become a time when we have to archive previous journals depending on server space. If this is ever needed, there will be communication that is sent out informing the community.

Journal Entry Workflow follows the Universities Non-Compensation Approval Authorization Policy. This approval workflow is based on all Fund/Org debits within the submitted journal entry.

Journals awaiting your approval will be in the My Approvals section in the upper right section of the tool. From there, you can review journal and related support and select to either approve or return. When you return, a text box will appear so you can type in comments that will be sent to the submitter of the journal for them to review as to why it was returned.

Yes, you will receive a system generated email once this journal has been submitted. However, do not be worried if you go into the tool to approve and you do not see the journal entry in your My Approvals section. This simply means that someone else who is also an authorized approver on this Fund/Org combination already approved the journal.