ODS Creating STANFINS Upload Files Using Impromptu

1
ODS Creating STANFINS Upload Files Using
Impromptu

• Sarah Brockner
• Accountant
• Defense Finance and Accounting Service
• August 9, 2006

2
Agenda

• What are Mass Change Files?
• Benefits of Using Mass Change Files
• When To Use
• ATLAS vs. Impromptu
• What You Need
• Basic Steps to a File Conversion
• Practice
• Questions

3
What Are Mass Change Files?

• Automated correction files
• Allows for easy fixes of posted transactions
• Creates a debit and a credit file
• Debit file is the original transaction file
• Credit file is the reversal of original
  transactions
• Make adjustments to the debit file
• Combine the two files and send for upload to
  STANFINS
• Result Incorrect information reversed and
  corrected information input all in the same
  cycle

4
Benefits of Using Mass Change Files

• Automated process
• Easy to use
• Eliminates data entry errors
• No confusing Os with 0s
• No transposing of letters/numbers
• Faster than data entry
• Can reverse and correct hundreds of lines in
  minutes

5
When To Use

• Preparing electronic Cost Transfers
• NXG file query and find incorrectly posted
  transactions
• TA 20s
• Send forward to DFAS-Rome FLAO
• Correcting obligation files
• TA 23s, TA21s
• Send forward to DFAS-Rome FLAO

6
ATLAS vs. Impromptu

• ATLAS Accounting Transaction Ledger Archival
  System
• NXG history files date back to 1990s
• System includes ability to create reversal files
• Easy to use
• Legacy system
• Must be updated manually
• COGNOS Impromptu - ODS
• NXG history files date back to early 2000s
• Query only cannot create reversal files within
  Impromptu
• Automatically updated within minutes after a
  cycle completes

7
What You Need

• Systems
• COGNOS Impromptu
• dARS
• Mass Changes Query
• Mass Changes Excel Template

8
Basic Steps to a File Conversion

• Step 1
• Run Impromptu Query and Save in Excel
• Step 2
• Open in Excel template and format one column
• Step 3
• Save as a .prn and open in Notepad
• Step 4
• Save as a .txt and run through dARS program
• Step 5
• Upload into STANFINS for processing.

9
Lets Practice!

• Step 1
• Sign into COGNOS Impromptu
• Step 2
• Open Mass Changes Query and enter information you
  wish to query by.

10
Practice continued

• Step 3
• Save the query results as an Excel file.
• Click File, Save As, and pick the location on
  your computer you are saving the file and rename
  if desired.
• Select Excel with Format (.XLS) from the Save
  as Type box.
• Click Save.
• Step 4
• Close Impromptu and open Excel.
• Click File, New
• On the right under Templates, Select On My
  Computer, Mass Changes Template.xlt, and click
  OK.

11
Practice continued

• Step 5
• Click Data, Import External Data, Import Data.
• Using the drop down box, locate your file where
  you saved it from Impromptu.
• Select file and click OK.
• Click Properties.
• Uncheck the Adjust Column Width box.
• Your file will now open up in the correct format
  within Excel.
• Step 6
• Delete the header row.
• Format Column P to zero fill 10 positions (Select
  Column P, Format, Cells, Number Tab Click
  Custom, Type 0000000000).

12
Practice continued

• Step 7
• Click File, Save As, and select Formatted Text
  (space delimited) (.prn) as the Save as Type in
  the dropdown box. Click YES to the incompatible
  worksheet question.
• Step 8
• Open Notepad.
• Click File, Open, change Files of Type to All
  Files in the dropdown box, and change the
  location to where you saved your .prn file in
  step 11, and open your file.
• Click File, Save As, select A/drive and change
  file type to .txt.

13
Practice continued

• Step 9
• Open dARS and select the following
• C LXG File Menu
• 7 Utility Menu
• 4 Convert STANFINS Input File into Adjustment
  File
• 1 Without Manhour Data
• 0 Convert Text File into Adjustment File
  (Select From List)
• A A Drive
• Select file name

14
Practice continued

• Step 9 continued
• 4 Reversing File Menu Using Debit / Credit
  Files
• 1 Create Reversing (Credit) File
• Screen will flash to indicate it worked
• 3 Screen to Select Information to Correct the
  Debit File
• 1 Modify the Data to change the LXG File Edit
  Screen
• Enter criteria to make corrections and include X
  to Select
• Example If changing the APC from D6H3 to D6HA,
  the debit file change would read APC WITH D6HA
  FOR APC D6H3
• This tells dARS to replace the D6H3 with D6HA for
  all instances in the debit file
• Control-End to Save Changes

15
Practice continued

• Step 9 continued
• 3 Execute the Mass Change to the LXG Adjustment
  File
• Screen will flash to indicate it worked
• X Return to Previous Menu
• 4 Combine Debit and Credit File into One
  Adjustment File
• 5 View the Combined Adjustment File
• Control-End
• X Return to Previous Menu

16
Practice continued

• Step 9 continued
• 8 Create STANFINS Input
• 3 Create File for STANFINS Upload
• Enter Block Number
• Enter Julian Date
• X Finished with Total Cards
• 3 Create the File on a Floppy Disk
• Name your file and enter
• A A Drive
• X out of dARs
• Check file on the A/drive and make sure it gets
  uploaded for the cycle.

17
Questions