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FAQ: Chart of Accounts

FAQ: Chart of Accounts

  • What is the Chart of Accounts? 

  • The Chart of Accounts, or CoA, is the basic structure that UC Davis uses to record and organize financial transactions to facilitate financial reporting. Chart of Accounts segments serve as the common language for financial transactions whether they are created directly in the financial system, generated in another major university system, or created through a local third-party application. 

    The UC Davis Chart of Accounts includes the following:

    • • More visible segments: Attributes such as Fund, Org Unit, and Higher Education Function Code (HEFC) – have their own distinct and visible segments in the Chart of Accounts. Fund is represented in the ne CoA Fund segment, Org Unit is represented in the Financial Department segment, and HEFC is represented in the Purpose segment. 
    • • Multidimensional, matrix-style structure: The majority of values are shared broadly across UC Davis, with transactors simply selecting the combination of segment values to meet their needs.
    • • Established hierarchy: Each segment of the Chart of Accounts has hierarchy levels, designed for consistency across the enterprise. Hierarchies establish a child level for posting transactions, and a series of parent and grandparent levels to aggregate summarized data.

    Download the Chart of Accounts Resource Guide to explore all CoA resources in recommended viewing order.

     

  • How did we arrive at the current Chart of Accounts structure? 

  • The Chart of Accounts (CoA) structure is based on the UC Common Chart of Accounts (CCoA), developed and approved by the UC Office of the President in 2014. 

    To arrive at the final CoA structure for UC Davis, the Chart of Accounts project team deployed a phased approach to engage with stakeholders and subject matter experts (SMEs): 

    • • Discovery: Information and requirements gathering sessions with units across UC Davis 

      • Proof of Concept: Scenario demonstration and validation of prototype CoA 
       
    • • CoA Advisory Group: Meetings with SMEs from across UC Davis who provided feedback on key design decisions and critical UC Davis specific requirements 

    In addition to stakeholder feedback, the segment design and definitions were vetted against leading industry practices and lessons learned from other higher education institutions, including UC San Diego and UC Merced. 

    As the foundation of the Aggie Enterprise system, our final Chart of Accounts structure was designed to make the most of Oracle Cloud Financials configuration and functionality.  

    For more details on the design process please visit the Chart of Accounts prototype webpage. 

  • Why are there so many chart segments in the Chart of Accounts?  

  • The eleven segments in the UC Davis Chart of Accounts allow greater flexibility in how we use the chart to support our business and reporting needs.

    • • The Entity, Fund, Financial Department, (Natural) Account, Purpose, Program, and Project segments are aligned with the UCOP Common Chart of Accounts.
    • • The Activity segment was added for UC Davis business and reporting requirements, informed by our stakeholder outreach.
    • • The Inter-Entity segment is a system-generated segment used to support balancing functionality in Oracle.
    • • Two Future segments are designated for future use by UCOP, as needed. 

    The Chart of Accounts maximizes the concept of a matrix-style chart by reducing duplicate values and allowing the use of shared values across multiple units. 

    Each segment has a single use with a distinct and consistent definition and use criteria.  When combined, these segments will tell the unique story of each individual transaction. 

    Download the CoA Quick Reference Guide for the Chart of Accounts at-a-glance.  

  • Are all Chart of Accounts segments required? 

  • All segments require a value in Oracle, but some values may be zeros. 

    The Chart of Accounts includes eight transactional segments.
           Four segments require entry of a valid value for all transactions: 
                  • Entity
                  • Fund
                  • Financial Department
                  • (Natural) Account
           The system will alert transactors if one of the required fields is not populated.

    • The remaining four transactional segments may require entry of valid values, depending on the type of transaction and departmental requirements. If no value is required, users will enter zeros in these segments: 
      • • Purpose – required for expense transactions
      • • Program – required for UCOP or UCD sanctioned programs; or based on departmental requirements
      • • Project** – required if there is a GL-only project associated with the transaction
      • • Activity – based on departmental requirements 


    Additionally, the CoA includes three system-generated segments. These segments will be visible to transactors, but values in these segments will be populated with zeros by the Oracle system: 

    • • Inter-Entity
    • • Future 1
    • • Future 2


    ** Transactions related to sponsored research, capital projects, faculty projects or other PPM designated projects will require processing in the PPM module, using the POET(AF) string. The POET(AF) Project value will roll up to the Project segment in the Chart of Accounts.  

    Download the Chart of Accounts Resource Guide to explore CoA and POET(AF) resources.

  • In the past, UC Davis used several chart values (3, L, S, H, M, P, etc.). How does this work now?

  • The information we previously treated as “charts” is now built into the “entity” segment. Entity delineates operational units with their own Federal Taxpayer Identification number, special reporting needs and/ or separate audit requirements.

    With its small value set and largely 1:1 relationship to previous Chart values, Entity lends itself to a simple crosswalk, available on the Entity Quick Reference Guide.

    The baseline Entity values for UC Davis are: 

    Value Value Name Value Definition  
    3110 UC Davis Campus (Excluding School of Health) Posting value for UC Davis Campus excluding the Schools of Health (School of Medicine and The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing)  
    3111 Schools of Health   Posting value for UC Davis' School of Medicine and The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing  
    3116* Aggie Square Posting value for Aggie Square.   
    *This is a placeholder value for future use and is not currently active.     		 
    3120 CHF - West Village Entity for Collegiate Housing Foundation (CHF) West Village  
    3121 CHF - Orchard Park Entity for Collegiate Housing Foundation (CHF) Orchard Park  
    3210 UCD Medical Center Posting value for UC Davis Medical Center operating units 
    3299 UCD Medical Center - Elimination Entries Posting value for UC Davis Medical Center entries to record accounting entries required for University of California Office of the President reporting processes and procedures  
    3310 UC - ANR Posting entity value for Agricultural and Natural Resources (ANR)  
    3410 UCD - UCOP Reserved for UCOP entries  
    3710 UC Davis Foundation Posting entity value for UC Davis Foundation  
    3810 Cal Aggie Alumni Association Posting entity value for Cal Aggie Alumni Association (CAAA)  
  • Can entity be derived from financial department?
  • Entity cannot be derived from financial department. Transactors need to select the appropriate Entity value when entering a transaction because some financial departments may be associated with multiple entities.

    For example, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) is a UC Davis campus Financial Department, but they also work closely with Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR). There may be a need for CA&ES to associate transactions with UC Davis Campus and UC-ANR entities.
  • Do all entities have the same (Natural) Account values available to them?
  • No. While the majority of (Natural) Account values are shared through the matrix-style chart, some values are unique to a single entity. Cross Validation Rules (CVRs) and value sets are used to prevent incorrect value combinations.
  • Does the Chart of Accounts Financial Department structure have any bearing on the HR Department?
  • No. As confirmed by Employee and Labor Relations, the Financial Department value does not have any impact on HR Department structure (e.g., for purpose of layoff units). UC Path is still considered the system of record.
  • How do CoA Financial Department values align with previous KFS Orgs?

  • Parent level 4 of the Financial Department hierarchy classifies the College, School or Division. This aligns with KFS Org level 4.

    Users will find increasingly more detailed department and sub-department values within their units in Parent 3, Parent 2, Parent 1, and finally, the Child/ Posting level. Current CoA values tables are available for users to explore the Financial Department hierarchy and other CoA segments.

  • Is assignment of Principal Investigator (PI) still a component/attribute of the Chart of Accounts?
  • Principal Investigator and Co-PI are tracked in the Project Portfolio Management (PPM) subledger module as part of the Award and PPM Project, and not as an attribute of the Chart of Accounts.
  • How are Chart of Accounts values determined?
  • Value development began with the foundation of the UCOP Common Chart of Accounts (CCoA), which has defined certain hierarchy levels and values that are commonly used across all UC campuses. The CoA team analyzed existing FAU values against UCOP CCoA requirements and reached out to departments to understand their use of the current FAU structure. This review helped the team identify potential gaps, as well as opportunities for value consolidation and data cleanup.  

    From that analysis, the CoA team completed an initial value mapping to develop baseline CoA values, mapping the previous KFS FAU data and translating that data to the current Chart of Accounts. These baseline values accounted for approximately 80 percent of the total values for the Chart of Accounts, including shared values to be used across UC Davis.  
     
  • Are values numeric or alpha-numeric? 

  • The value schema has been determined for each segment of the Chart of Accounts:

    • Entity: Numeric 

    • Fund: Alpha-numeric 

    • Financial Department: Alpha-numeric 

    • (Natural) Account: Alpha-numeric 

    • Purpose: Numeric 

    • Program: Alpha-numeric 

    • Project: Numeric 

    • Activity: Alpha-numeric 

    • Inter-Entity: Numeric (system-generated) 

    • Future 1 & Future 2: Numeric (system-generated) 

    Download the CoA Quick Reference Guide for the Chart of Accounts at-a-glance.  

  • How are Chart of Accounts values be managed?  Can departments create their own values for the various segments?
  • Chart of Accounts values are considered part of UC Davis Master Data, which is managed centrally under formal Data Governance. Departments are able to request new values, but the values will be created by the central teams based on CoA Guiding Principles and the established segment definitions and hierarchies.