Budget & Finance Training
Access Budget & Finance training material and links to additional resources
The trainings and resources below will help you acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities to navigate UC San Diego's diverse financial landscape with precision. These resources are your gateway to excelling in your role as you manage the university’s finances.
Finance Training Program
We are thrilled to present the first course in the Finance Training Program, which is now available! Stay tuned as additional courses become available in the next year.
Click below to learn more!
Course 1: Oracle Foundations
The first course, Oracle Foundations, will cover essential knowledge about Oracle's underlying structures and processes. It is highly recommended for all Oracle users.
Access the course on the UC Learning Center!
Below is a roadmap which outlines the various modules which make up the course:
Each course must be completed sequentially and will culminate in a final assessment:
Module 0: Welcome: OFC and reporting navigation basics
Module 1: General Ledger and Subledgers: How OFC is structured and information flow
Module 2: Chart of Accounts and Chartstrings: Basics of transacting in the General Ledger
Module 3: Intro to Project Portfolio Management (PPM): POET(AF) and project attributes
If you complete the survey at the end of this course between now and the end of June, you will be eligible to win one of the monthly drawings for a Visa gift card. Winners of the drawing will be announced in upcoming Weekly Digests.
Future Courses
The table below highlights the 2024-2025 projected training roadmap.
| Course | Modules/Topics | Tentative Release |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals of Accounting |
|
July 2024 |
| Intermediate Concepts in PPM |
|
October 2024 |
| General Ledger Balance Reporting |
|
TBD |
| Award Management |
|
TBD |
| Payroll |
|
TBD |
| Intermediate Concepts in GL |
|
TBD |
| Billing and Receivables |
|
TBD |
| Advanced Topics and Special Considerations |
|
TBD |
| Cash Management |
|
TBD |
The materials and guidance provided below are designed to empower you with the expertise, capabilities, and proficiency needed to effectively contribute to UC San Diego's Budget & Finance Weekly Digest. They serve as invaluable tools for enhancing your capacity to fulfill your responsibilities and optimize the university's financial management.
Contributing to the Budget & Finance Weekly Digest
Click below to learn more!
Prerequisites
Please add your content in this shared Google space:
Always be sure to add to the current edition for the following Tuesday. This digest document is intended for UC San Diego community members that wish to communicate topics directly pertaining to budget, finance, or the financial system in a weekly newsletter format.
Publishing Schedule & Deadlines
Wednesday
- Once call for content is received begin working on articles to comply with deadlines ahead.
Friday
- Deadline for content contributors to add drafts to Google doc is 2:30pm.
- A polite reminder may be sent out by the curators.
- Input your information that will be included in the Digest, in the respective sections (Announcements, Training & Support, BI & Financial Reporting, Campus Budget Office Updates, and/or Tips & Tricks).
- After each article, please include your Full Name and if your content is a DRAFT or FINAL.
-
- Example: Title of Article (Bea Florentino/DRAFT).
- Example: Title of Article (Bea Florentino/FINAL)
- All content that is specified as FINAL will be included in the Weekly Digest. Make sure your content is finalized before specifying as FINAL.
Monday
- Deadline for content contributors to finalize articles in the Google doc is 9:59am
- Incomplete articles or articles that have unresolved comments will not be added to the current week’s edition if submitted after this deadline.
- All content that is specified as DRAFT will not be included in the current Weekly Digest edition.
- By end of day you will receive the test edition, please review your article to make sure it is accurate, links are working, and all aspects are reviewed.
- Email any edits to the curators using the email address provided in the test edition.
Tuesday
- Send any test edition edits before 9:59am so that finalized articles are included in the final edition.
- Please note, incomplete or unresolved articles will be moved to the “TBD/Drafts” section and will not be included in the current edition.
Best Practices
Below are the best practices to ensure the effectiveness and clarity of your submissions. Please adhere to the outlined schedules and deadlines for each section to maintain consistency and timelines.
- Placement of Information: Ensure that your content is placed in the appropriate section to facilitate easy navigation and understanding for the readers. Sections include Announcements, Training & Support, BI & Financial Reporting, Campus Budget Office Updates, and Tips & Tricks.
- Standard Formatting for Training & Support or Office Hours: For articles related to Training & Support or Office Hours, use the standard formatting with Zoom link in the title. This makes it easier for readers to take the desired action.
- Be sure to follow the outline for articles pertaining to Training & Support or Office Hours. Use of the standard formatting with Zoom link in the title makes it easier for the reader to take the desired action.
Course Title (linked)
Day Month, 2023 @ 00:00 AM - 00:00 AM
Course description
- Be sure to follow the outline for articles pertaining to the Announcements section. Please write in narrative form using the suggested outline.
- Title (First & Last Name, Status): Clearly indicate the title and status of the announcement.
- Who will be impacted? Specify the target audience or groups affected by the announcement.
- Resources (Link to Knowledge Based Articles, KBA): Provide relevant resources or links for further information.
- If including screenshots, attach them using the highest possible resolution in png or jpeg format to maintain clarity and readability.
- Spell out acronyms such as PPM, ADF, FIS, etc., the first time they are used in the article to accommodate new readers who may be unfamiliar with the terminology. New readers are constantly being added to the distribution of the Weekly Digest and may be unfamiliar or still learning the jargon.
- Example: Chart of Accounts (COA) Update.
- Before you submit, please conduct a final review to check for spelling and grammar errors, as well as to ensure all links are working properly.
- If any of your articles address the Chancellor's Advisory Committee issues, use similar language to what is recorded on the list. Include the ID number and link to the list. Below your article use this format:
- Please refer to ID#____ on the Chancellor's ESR FIS Advisory Committee Main Issues List.
- Reserve the use of bold red text for dates occurring within the next few days or during the same week as the publication to draw attention to time-sensitive information.
By following these best practices, you can contribute to the clarity, consistency, and effectiveness of the BFS Weekly Digest. Thank you for your attention to detail and commitment to providing valuable information to our readers.
Introductory Courses
Introductory courses provide high-level instruction covering basic financial terms and concepts, policies and procedures, system navigation, and transactional overviews.
Introductory training is advised for all department preparers with Oracle standard roles -e.g., Fund Managers, Fiscal Assistants, Financial Analysts, and Administrative Assistants
Introductory eCourses
These Oracle and Concur courses are short in duration and serve as module overviews with new system terminology. eCourses should be viewed prior to watching advanced training courses or registering for instructor-led classes.
| Domain | Training | Description | Recommended Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Procurement | University Procurement Card Program | Procurement Card Use and Benefits, Program Guidelines, and Cardholder Responsibilities (17 mins) |
|
| Procure to Pay | PaymentWorks Webinar | Session provides an overview of PaymentWorks navigation as well as the registration process. (56 mins) |
|
Oracle: Buying and Paying for Goods and Services
UC Learning Registration: Oracle: Buying and Paying for Goods & Services
Training Office: Integrated Procure-to-Pay Solutions
Course Details: Instructor-led training/ 2 hours
Recommended Participants: Anyone that prepares purchase order requisitions in Oracle Procurement to buy goods or services for their department.
Course Overview: This course will be especially valuable for employees who want to further their understanding of buying on campus. Instruction will involve an introduction to Oracle Procurement as well as hands-on practice and feedback to gain valuable, practical experience. Intended for fiscal administrators, fund managers and financial managers who are familiar with sponsored award management on campus and would like to learn about more advanced buying terminology and concepts.
- Shopping for and purchasing goods and services
- Searching across UC San Diego requisitions and POs
- Closing POs
- Processing NonPO payments through Oracle Procurement
- Checking PO and NonPO invoice status
- Receiving credits through refund checks
Self-Help Resources:
- Blink Resources: Oracle Procurement
- YouTube Video Playlist: Buying & Paying
- Services & Support Knowledge Base: Buying & Paying
UC San Diego Travel: Before You Go
UC Learning Registration: UC San Diego Travel: Before You Go
Training Office: Integrated Procure-to-Pay Solutions
Course Details: Instructor-led training/ 1.5 hrs
Recommended Participants: Travel Arrangers, Delegates, Travelers and Financial Managers
Course Overview: The course will include an in-depth explanation of topics covered in the Concur Travel and Expense eCourse. This course will be especially valuable for employees who travel or book business travel and want to further their understanding of travel preauthorization and UC San Diego's instance of Concur Travel booking tool. Intended for travel arrangers, delegates, travelers, and financial managers who are familiar with Travel Policy G-28 and would like to learn about more advanced Concur Travel terminology and concepts.
- Review the process to request travel preauthorization via Concur Request
- Be able to request a new University Travel & Entertainment Car
- Learn how to book travel via Concur Travel
Self-Help Resources:
- Blink Resources: Travel & Concur Basics
- YouTube Video Playlist: Travel
- Services & Support Knowledge Base: Travel
UC San Diego Travel: Reporting Expenses
UC Learning Registration: UC San Diego Travel: Reporting Expenses
Training Office: Integrated Procure-to-Pay Solutions
Course Details: Instructor-led training/ 1.5 hrs
Recommended Participants: Travellers, Preparers, and Approvers
Course Overview: Those involved in the process of trip reconciliation for business travel at UC San Diego, including travelers, preparers (Concur Delegates) and approvers. The course provides an overview of UC San Diego travel policy and procedure, including summarized guidelines, resources, and information about online tools. In this course, you will learn about Concur processes for prepaying travel and claiming expenses after the business trip occurs in accordance to Travel Policy G-28.
- Arranging for prepayment of fees, such as registration
- Making deposits, such as for hotels
- Reporting expenses
- Claiming traveler reimbursement
Self-Help Resources:
- Blink Resources: Travel & Concur Basics
- YouTube Video Playlist: Travel
- Services & Support Knowledge Base: Travel
Fundamental Courses
Fundamental courses provide in-depth instruction covering advanced concepts, including embedded business processes, what-if scenarios, best practices, and workflow hierarchies, including information for Financial Unit Approvers.
Departmental staff working with sponsored projects and accounts receivable should take additional function-specific training courses.
Concur: Event and Expense Reimbursements
UC Learning Registration: Concur: Event and Expense Reimbursements
Training Office: Integrated Procure-to-Pay Solutions
Course Details: Instructor-led training/ 2 hours
Recommended Participants: Preparers, meeting/event hosts, financial managers, and entertainment approvers
Course Overview:The course will include an in-depth explanation of Concur processes related to meetings, entertainment, and business expense reimbursements. This course will be especially valuable for employees who host meetings and events and want to further their understanding of the expense reconciliation process via Concur. Also, those who previously utilized MyPayments for requesting employee reimbursements for business expenses may attend this course. Intended for preparers, meeting/event hosts, financial managers, and entertainment approvers who are familiar with Entertainment Policy BUS-79 and would like to learn about more advanced meetings and entertainment terminology and concepts.
- Learn how to submit event payment requests and employee reimbursements via Concur
- Review the process to submit event vendor payments
- Be able to view and reconcile Travel & Entertainment card transactions
Self-Help Resources:
- Blink Resources: Travel & Travel Training and Guidelines
- YouTube Video Playlist: Travel
- Services & Support Knowledge Base: Travel
University Procurement Card Program
UC Learning Registration: University Procurement Card Program
Training Office: Integrated Procure-to-Pay Solutions
Course Details: Instructor-led training/ 2.5 hours
Recommended Participants:Preparers, cardholders, and fund/financial managers
Course Overview: The course will include more in-depth explanations of changes coming with the University Procurement Card Program. This course will be especially valuable for employees who oversee and/or use the Procurement Card and want to orient themselves in the new system. Intended for preparers, cardholders, and fund/financial managers who are familiar with buying and paying for low value goods and services on campus and would like to learn about more advanced Procurement Card terminology and concepts.
- Understand the requirements, use and benefits of the card
- Review the changes to the Procurement Card Program in Concur
- Learn how to request a new card and related card requests Learn how to reconcile card transactions through Concur
This is not an introductory course. Participants should first complete the associated eCourse University Procurement Card Program available through UC Learning.
Self-Help Resources:
- Blink Resources: Procurement Card
- YouTube Video Playlist: Banking, Cash & Card Products
- Services & Support Knowledge Base: Banking, Cash & Card Products
Specialized Courses
Specialized courses are tailored to job-specific functions, provide elevated training, and enable staff to continue learning and optimizing the Financial Information System
Oracle BI Author for Report Developers: Getting Started
UC Learning Registration: Oracle BI Author for Report Developers: Getting Started
Training Office: Internal Controls & Accounting
Course Details: Instructor-led training/ 1.5 hours
Recommended Participants: Required for staff who will be providing department reports
Course Overview: These courses are for data analysts or information system analysts who are familiar with existing financial reports on campus and would like to learn about the Oracle Reporting Solutions within the Oracle Financial Reporting Center. This series builds a solid foundation about the architecture of the Oracle Financial Reporting environment. They will also outline the four main reporting tools and provide a basic understanding of what each of these tools is designed to do.
Courses are a pre-requisite and must be completed for BI Author access in the Oracle Financials Cloud (OFC) system. It will ensure participants have a minimal comfort level with the environment, navigation and high-level concepts prior to beginning the more advanced BI Author tool training. Participants should have proper technical backgrounds and current relevant job role to take this course.
- Oracle BI Author: Introduction
- Oracle BI Author: OTBI
- Oracle BI Author: BI Publisher
- Oracle BI Author: CubeReporting
- Oracle BI Author: Best Practices
Self-Help Resources:
- Blink Resources: BI & Financial Reporting
- Services & Support Knowledge Base:
- BI & Financial Reporting
- BI Standards for Financial Reporting (login)
Oracle Cost Transfers
Recorded Training: Oracle Cost Transfers
Training Office: Office of Post Award Financial Services
Course Details: Recorded Instructor-led training/ 1.5 hours
Recommended Participants: Department positions that perform cost transfers including Fund Managers, Financial Managers, and Financial Officers
Course Overview: The course provides a general overview of the various types of cost transfers, uses, and Oracle system navigation for cost transfers. Topics include how to initiate & approve cost transfers, view cost transfers in OFC, and more!
- Learn essential terminology and the navigation to perform cost transfers
- How to initiate cost transfers
- Understand the approval process and what to check before approving
- Understand basic reporting of cost transfers
Self-Help Resources:
- Blink - Cost (Expense) Transfers Overview
- Top Knowledge Base Articles
Project and Grant Management: Getting Started
See the Reporting Workshop page for more training options.
Archived Courses
The courses in this section provide training content which may be out of date.
Archived Training
| Domain | Training | Description | Recommended Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounts Receivable | Oracle: Accounts Receivable Invoicing |
Requests for a New Customer Account and Edits to an Existing Customer Account, Creating and Editing an Invoice, Invoice Adjustments and Credit Memos, and Setting up a Recurring Bill Plan Billing Reports (27 mins) |
Department positions that work with accounts receivable:
|
| Accounts Receivable | Oracle: Advanced Concepts in Accounts Receivable Invoicing |
Create/Edit Invoice: Revenue to Multiple Chart Strings & Other Complex Scenarios, Reviewing Customer Account Balances in Detail, and Billing Adjustments and Credit Memos: When to Use and Why (1.5 hrs) |
Department positions that work with accounts receivable:
|
| Budget & Planning | Oracle Budget: Budgeting at UCSD | The course provides basic access and navigational information and walks you through each of the forms in the Task Lists that make up the budget process. Includes the web application and Smart View (1.0 hrs) |
|
| Budget & Planning | Oracle Budget: Introduction to SmartView for Oracle Planning & Budgeting | Overview and demonstration of how to use the Smart View Excel Add In to connect to a database, navigate to task lists, access forms, enter data, and submit data as an alternative to Oracle’s EPBCS web application (22 mins) |
|
| Financial Accounting/Oracle PPM Capital Projects | Oracle: Advanced Concepts in PPM Capital Projects |
Project Maintenance Financial Transactions and Capture Costs Financial Monitoring and Reporting Project Closeout (1.5 hrs) |
|
| Financial Accounting/Oracle PPM General Projects | Oracle: Advanced Concepts in General Project Recharges |
Recharge mechanism in future state, How to generate and upload an Miscellaneous Cost Import (MCI) file, and How to view g enerated recharges in PPM (1 hr) |
|
| Post Award Financials/Oracle PPM Awards | Oracle: Advanced Concepts in PPM Awards |
Award structure and beginning-to-end process, POET(AF), Navigation of the various award spaces, and Viewing and navigating budget and costs (2 hrs) |
|
| Project Portfolio Management | Oracle: Introduction to PPM Awards | Award beginning-to-end process, Award and Project set-up and maintenance, Manage and review costs, and Closeout process (18 mins) |
Department positions that work with sponsored projects:
|
Fund Management Training Series
Training Office: Business & Financial Services Divisions
Course Details: Instructor-led training/ ~1.5 hrs per course (1 hr. Training/30 mins. Q&A)
Recommended Participants: Fund and Financial Managers
Course Overview: The Fund Management training series is designed to address campus inquiries and key topics that matter to fund managers
Office Hours Support:
- General Project Structure Options
- PPM Subledger & Reading the General Ledger
- Sponsored Projects Specialized Processes and Incoming & Outgoing Subawards
- 'Internal Revenue'/Recharges & Financial Reporting and Salary Project Projections
Fund Management: Sponsored Projects Specialized Processes
Monday, April 5, 2021 @ 9:30am - 10:30am
Topics include Sponsored Project Closeout, Industry-Initiated/Sponsor-Initiated Clinical Trials, Fabrications, Program Income and Reading your Award Balance.
Fund Management: Incoming & Outgoing Subawards
Wednesday, April 7, 2021 @ 9:30am - 10:30am
Topics include MCAs intercampus, Non UC and more!
Fund Management: External Revenue
Monday, April 12, 2021 @ 9:30am - 10:30am
Topics include Incoming Service Agreements, Contract Management, Gift Revenue, Intercampus transfers ILTF and associated reports.
Fund Management: Subledger Variances
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 @ 9:30am - 10:30am
Topics include Default Projects, Purchase Orders and Commitment Reconciliation, Exception reporting, Cost transfers and more!
Fund Management: Financial Reporting & Salary Projections
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 @ 9:30am - 10:30am
Topics include reports.ucsd.edu, faculty MyFunds/EBS-like reporting, standard & managerial account hierarchy updates, salary projections, and new PPM names on reports!