FAQ: Aggie Enterprise

FAQ: Aggie Enterprise

Topics

About the Project
  • What is Aggie Enterprise?
  • Aggie Enterprise is a strategic business transformation initiative. This multi-year initiative encompasses the Common Operating Fund Initiative (COFI), the Chart of Accounts project (CoA), and the implementation of the new Oracle system, including business process and boundary systems review and redesign. Aggie Enterprise is also the name of the UC Davis implementation of Oracle Cloud Financials, which will go live January 1, 2024.

    This initiative marks a culture shift in our approach to launching a new system - Adopting an Out-of-the-Box System: Configuration over Customization.
     
    • • Configuration: As it relates to this project, configuration refers to optimizing our use of Oracle Cloud Services by reviewing, analyzing and updating current business processes. Contrary to the past practice of customizing a system to meet us where we are, we will instead realign our processes with industry best practices embedded in Oracle, making the best use of the system.
    • • Customization: As it relates to this project, customization refers to the past practice of making complex system customizations to meet existing business processes. These customizations may not leverage best practices, and often result in system maintenance challenges, including significant manual work to keep systems updated. 
    Download the Aggie Enterprise Project Overview Quick Reference Guide for key information about what is changing, why it’s changing and who will be impacted.
  • Why are we replacing our financial systems?

  • Our current financial systems have struggled to keep up with the growing complexity of the University’s financial landscape, planning and business needs. The customizations we have made in the past have created challenges around systems maintenance and updates. Additionally, Kuali is moving to a SaaS (software as a service) product, so our current system is not going to be supported going forward. 

    In order to achieve increased efficiency, streamline business processes, provide effective reporting, and meet regulatory requirements, UC Davis has decided to implement Oracle Cloud Financials. When we looked at the capabilities of the Oracle Cloud versus Kuali cloud system, Kuali is years out from being able to deliver a solution that Oracle delivers today.

    The implementation of a modern, integrated financial system will deliver functionality that is currently distributed across multiple systems, providing UC Davis with one reliable, accessible source of truth for financial transactions, business process execution and reporting.

    The adoption of the new system will support a culture of innovation, efficiency, transparency, and data-driven decisions as we ‘Boldly Go’ into the future.

  • What is Oracle Cloud Financials (OCF)?

  • Oracle Cloud Financials is a suite of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications that supports the new Aggie Enterprise system. Aggie Enterprise is organized into four distinct modules to meet UC Davis business needs:  

    • • Finance
      • Planning  
    • • Project Portfolio Management (PPM) 
    • • Supply Chain  


    Oracle Cloud Financials is delivered through a web-based software as a service (SaaS) model. It is a modern, agile system, which undergoes periodic updates automatically to improve functionality.

  • Have other UC campuses implemented Oracle? What have you learned from their experience?

  • Several of our peers - UC San Diego, UC Merced and Office of the President - have already implemented Oracle Cloud Financials. We have the benefit of learning from those that went before us to better understand what Oracle can and cannot do, and what support is needed to help UC Davis achieve a successful implementation.

    One of the most significant take-aways from other UCs was the need for more end-user engagement during system development. Aggie Enterprise has implemented a number of strategies to ensure broad stakeholder engagement and feedback:

    • • Multiple, formal feedback mechanisms, including the Advisory Board, Change Network and the help desk.
    • • Targeted outreach to academic departments through office hours with Assistant Deans and key advisors to address specific questions and concerns from schools and colleges. 
    • • Facilitated Design sessions with academic and administrative subject matter experts (SMEs) representing the end user and identifying risks around the various configuration options. 
    • • Ongoing SME engagement in Build sessions and systems testing to evaluate system functionality, identify the most efficient processes, and shed light on change management needs to help end-users be successful.
      • Establishing a Super User cohort where unit-identified experts participate in specially designed hands on orientations and testing to prepare them to serve as the front-line resource for their unit’s transition to Aggie Enterprise.
       

    In addition, training outcomes from our peer campuses have informed the Aggie Enterprise training strategy, including: 

    • • Prioritizing the foundational topics of Chart of Accounts (CoA) and POET(AF) as building blocks to prepare users for functional training. CoA eLearning courses are available through UC Learning.
    • • Highlighting end-to-end activities and incorporating real-world scenarios to build user understanding and confidence in how work will be done in the future. 
    • • Delivering training in short bursts to reduce cognitive overload and increase knowledge retention. 
  • I heard that there are consultants working on Aggie Enterprise. Who are they and what are they doing?
  • UC Davis has partnered with Deloitte to share co-responsibility for the implementation of Oracle at UC Davis. Deloitte is helping to provide functional and technical expertise for the implementation and integration of the new system, providing guidance on leading industry practices, sequence duration and key activities.

    UC Davis will maintain overall responsibility and authority for driving decisions, communications and securing required resources. The qualified, knowledgeable members of our project team, supported by engagement with our stakeholders, will lead the transformation of business processes.
  • How will stakeholders be involved in Aggie Enterprise?
  • Stakeholder engagement is crucial to the success of Aggie Enterprise, and collaboration with stakeholders is a key element of both our project and change management planning.

    Work stream and process design leads will continue to bring together subject matter experts (SMEs) from across UC Davis to provide feedback around specific aspects of finance, budget, procurement, business operations and boundary applications.

    User Acceptance Testing is planned for early September thru late October 2023. In this round of testing, formal testers will be given the same permissions that they will be provisioned at go-live, and will have the opportunity to execute test scenarios, troubleshoot and ultimately provide formal acceptance of the system. Others who are interested in seeing the system, but have not been selected as formal testers, will be granted access to an Oracle Training Environment in October, and will explore the system through hands-on training.

    The Aggie Enterprise initiative also includes designated stakeholder groups with specific roles and responsibilities throughout the project’s lifecycle:
    • • The Aggie Enterprise Advisory Board, led by our Academic Liaison, and comprised of stakeholder representatives from across the campus. Their role is to provide feedback on the overall strategic direction, business process changes and configuration, with a special focus on the impact to academic departments.
    • • The Change Network, led by our Change Management, Communications and Training (CCT) team, brings together individuals from colleges, schools and units from campus, Health and ANR. Members of the Change Network will be our change champions, building awareness by facilitating cascading communications, advocating for the change, and serving as a liaison between their colleagues and the project team.
      • The Super User cohort, led by our Academic Liaison, brings together unit-identified experts who understand their unit’s business processes and financial structure, and will serve as the front-line resource for their unit’s transition to Aggie Enterprise. Super Users completed a special cycle of Super User Acceptance Testing (SUAT) to gain hands-on experience in the system. They will have the opportunity to engage in the trainer-the-trainer program, and will help identify and articulate changes to business processes.
  • How does this benefit UC Davis?

  • The Aggie Enterprise initiative will align UC Davis with leading industry practices and replace outdated legacy systems with new, more robust technology, providing the infrastructure to deliver high-value, reliable, and easy-to-access financial, planning and business services.

    Aggie Enterprise benefits include:

    • • UC Davis will have one reliable, accessible source of truth for financial transactions, business process execution, and reporting; this reduces risk associated with data integrity, compliance, and information security.
    • • Consistent, standardized business processes, coupled with the structure provided by the new Chart of Accounts, will bolster cross-functional collaboration and increase transparency.
    • • More robust and complete reporting functionality will reduce the need for manual data manipulation and enable informed, data-driven decision-making
    • • Flexible and scalable design will meet our existing and future financial needs as UC Davis continues to grow in size and complexity.
  • What can I do now to have some agency in this change?

  • The Aggie Enterprise Resource Library includes a Preparing for Aggie Enterprise checklist that outlines things you can do today to prepare for Aggie Enterprise. This document will be updated as new activities are identified.

    Activities include:

    • • Core Finance and Budget courses to revisit university finance and budget basics.
    • • Excel and Data Analysis learning opportunities to support financial analysis and reporting
    • • Clean up efforts for KFS Accounts, aging invoices and open purchase orders
       

    We also encourage you to explore foundational learning materials to build your knowledge of the new Chart of Accounts and prepare for Aggie Enterprise systems training. These on demand resources include:

    In addition to the checklist and other resources, one of the best ways to stay involved with Aggie Enterprise is to keep asking questions. The Change Management, Communications and Training (CCT) team reviews questions submitted to the help desk. These questions inform content for the website, articles for The Spreadsheet newsletter, and agendas for stakeholder presentations, including future town hall sessions.

  • Why is UC Davis Health transitioning to Lawson?
  • The decision to transition to Lawson as the General Ledger for UC Davis Health was driven by several key factors and benefits:
    • • UC Davis Health made a significant investment in the Lawson Supply Chain module in 2018, due in part to Lawson’s ability to interface with Epic. Expanding and implementing additional Lawson modules leverages this investment and the item master integration already in place.
    •  
    • • With the movement towards value-based payments, the ability to evaluate the full continuum of care for our patients is key, both qualitatively and quantitatively.   Recording all clinical financial transactions in Lawson, including operational statistics such as visits and patient days, provides a centralized source for evaluation of service line results and key insights to evaluate profitability. Specifically, it will provide:
      • > Increased ability for UC Davis Health to meet its business needs, including reporting statistics, determination of costing, and evaluation of service line analytics
      • > By linking clinical, financial and operational applications it provides a complete view of activity allowing better insight for leadership decisions
      • > The ability to consolidate financial results for UC Davis Health, including the Medical Center, School of Medicine and School of Nursing
      • > Centralized operational support, including oversight of internal controls, implementation of standard operating procedures, monitoring of outstanding receivables and payables
      •  
    • • Lawson offers data and reporting functionality that will greatly enhance our work, including:
      • > Full capital asset accounting to accommodate heath specific accounting requirements
      • > Company expansion capability for any new joint ventures, partnerships and affiliations
      • > The ability to report according to regulatory requirements
      •  
    • • Transitioning to Lawson aligns UC Davis Health with other sister Medical Center’s, like UCLA, that are also using Lawson as a financial reporting tool. 

 

Data Governance

Updated Sept. 11, 2023

  • What is Data Governance?

  • Data Governance is a set of quality control disciplines for managing, using, improving, maintaining, monitoring, and protecting Master Data across the enterprise.

    Key benefits of Data Governance include:
         • Improved trust in reporting thru high quality data
         • Standardized "language" supports collaborative sharing of information across the enterprise
         • Increased process efficiency
         • Clear escalation path for data issues

    Learn more by visiting the Data Governance webpage.

  • What is Master Data?
  • Master Data are the data elements critical to UC Davis business operations. As such, these types of data are subject to governance, where access and use is driven by policy, depending on the type of data and the data requirements of a public university.

    UC Davis Master Data includes:
         • Chart of Accounts values
         • Employee information
         • Project Data
         • Award data
         • Roles Management
         • Suppliers and Customers
         • Item Master (Inventory)
         • Memo lines
         • Catalogs (self-service procurement)

    There are formal processes and escalation channels in place to manage Master Data.
  • Does this mean we cannot create new KFS values after July 1, 2023?
  • Units are still able to request new values, however, value requests will go through Data Governance review, and require FAU to CoA mapping in order to keep the Chart of Accounts stable for UCOP reporting.

    Changes on July 1st include:
         • Updated KFS workflow, routing new value requests to Central Finance for review.
         • A new FAU to CoA Mapping Template, which must be attached to new value requests.
                    – Watch the recorded demo for a walk-through of the template.
         • A Chart of Accounts request email, coa-request@ucdavis.edu, for units to request new CoA values.
                    – Download the guide for Submitting a Request for a new CoA Value (Pre-Go-Live)
  • What KFS activities are included in Data Governance review? When do we need to attach the FAU to CoA Mapping Template?

  • Data Governance applies to new KFS value requests created after 06/30/23, and any request that changes the KFS FAU characteristics (e.g., moving KFS Account to a different org, adding a sub-account, etc.).

    Effective July 1st, KFS requests that impact CoA Mapping must have the completed FAU to CoA Mapping Template attached, and will route to the Central Finance team for review.

    Data Governance will not impact other KFS activities, such as:

    • • Re-opening a previously closed KFS FAU to complete clean-up activities.
    • • Adding or changing a PI
    • • Expiring KFS Accounts (with no change to Org)
    • • Changing the continuation account number
    •  
  • I thought only new value requests were routing for Data Governance review, but it looks like other requests (e.g., renewals) are also routing to Central Finance. Why is that?
  • The Kuali system has limitations for how we can apply business rules to route documents, so we were not able to bifurcate the routing to separate out certain types of KFS updates.

    While the Data Governance review is only needed for requests that impact FAU to CoA mapping (e.g., new values, changes to Org, etc.), the Central Finance team is receiving other types of changes. The more information that units can add in the document description (e.g., indicating that the document is for a renewal), the easier and faster it is for Central Finance to determine if Data Governance review is needed.
  • Data Governance guidance shows that a mapping template is not required for new contracts and grants. What if we are expiring an existing contract and grant account and moving the account to a different org.? Is a template required in those instances?
  • Yes, you will need to provide a mapping template anytime a KFS Account moves to a different Org., even if it is a sponsored project.

    The original Org was used to determine the CoA Financial Department where that KFS Account will map. Changing the Org will potentially change the Financial Department; the template is needed to ensure that the KFS Account maps correctly into the new CoA.
  • I'm concerned that a new Sponsored Project isn't going to be mapped to the correct Financial Department value. Should I submit a ServiceNow request?
  • You should not submit a ServiceNow request for Sponsored Projects. 

    The Chart of Accounts team is providing weekly Sponsored Project reports to each unit's Mapping Lead. Units will use the report to identify if the Financial Department assigned to Project needs to be updated.
  • We have workflow in KFS that routes documents for review at the unit level before they are finalized. Will that routing be impacted by the KFS workflow changes?
  • Some organizations have optional organizational review built in; this routing will not change. The KFS workflow changes will occur at the end of the workflow, after any department approvals, as a last step before the document becomes final.
  • When will units be asked to stop creating new values in KFS?
  • The final freeze for all KFS FAU changes is 11/21/23. Initiate permissions will be limited to only Central Finance effective end of day, 11/20/23.

    Exceptions will be made for Gift and Endowment funds as required by UCOP and Federal reporting requirements (processed by the Central team).
  • What about PPM/ POET(AF) values? How do we request those?
  • When departments request a new Project value, we will ask that they indicate if the project is GL-only or PPM.

    PPM Tasks will NOT be included in the Data Governance process. Department mapping reviewers have been working for many months on a unit-specific mapping template and will continue to use that template to provide PPM Tasks.
  • What if we are requesting a new Sub-Account value that maps to Task in PPM instead of to a CoA value? How should we indicate that in our request?
  • If your Sub-Account will map to a Task, please put a note in the description indicating: "This Sub-Account will map to a Task in a PPM Project".
  • I need to request a new CoA value that isn't tied to a new KFS value request. How do I submit that for review?
  • All new CoA value requests should be submitted through ServiceNow, using the coa-request@ucdavis.edu email address.

    For CoA value requests that are NOT related to a KFS value request, you will still follow the instructions outlined in the guide, Submitting a Request for a new Chart of Accounts value. The only difference is that you will not be attaching an FAU to CoA Mapping template.

    Your email must include:
       - The type of CoA value you are requesting (e.g., Financial Department, GL Project, Activity, etc.).
       - The description of the new value.
       - The business need for the new value.
    It is also helpful to Central Finance, and will minimize follow-up, if you can provide the location in the hierarchy where you would like your value to roll up to.
  • We want all requests for new CoA values to go through review at the unit level before being submitted for Data Governance review. Is it possible for unit approval routing to be incorporated into ServiceNow?
  • ServiceNow will only be used to manage Central Finance review and approval of new values.

    Any review prior to submitting the ServiceNow ticket should be established through business processes within the unit. Units may choose to establish authorized requesters (e.g. Dean’s Office), in which case requests received from others would be routed back to the unit.
  • Does UC Davis campus have a different ServiceNow platform than UC Davis Health?
  • Yes, the campus and Health use different ServiceNow instances. To request new CoA values in the future, Schools of Health will need to submit a request in the campus instance of ServiceNow. Schools of Health will continue to use Health’s instance of ServiceNow for regular IT needs, outside of Aggie Enterprise.
  • What is the turn-around time for new KFS value requests to be approved by Central Finance?
  • The expected turn-around time is within 3 business days, as long as the completed FAU to CoA Mapping template is attached. If information is missing, the request will be returned to the initiator. 

    Requests are being reviewed daily. Central Finance urges units to submit requests as the need arises, and to not wait to submit requests until the end of the fiscal period.
  • What is the turn-around time for new CoA value requests??
  • Central Finance has determined Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for each CoA segment, based on the level of review and analysis required to implement a new value. We are also in the process of appropriately sizing the review team to support these SLAs.
  • How will requesters know if a new CoA value has been approved/ created?
  • The ServiceNow system includes notifications to the requester when a new value request has been reviewed and approved.
Aggie Enterprise System and Data
  • Which existing systems are going away, and when will this happen?

  • The Aggie Enterprise Technology team has compiled a list of more than 300 systems across UC Davis. Systems have been assessed based on their functionality, as well as any upstream or downstream integrations with Kuali.

    Some of our current systems will no longer be needed to support UC Davis financial and business processes after the implementation of Oracle Cloud Financials. Our initial inventory has identified several systems that will be made redundant by the Aggie Enterprise initiative. Cutover planning, currently underway, will include reviewing the appropriate timing for decommissioning these systems as we transition to Aggie Enterprise.

    Conversely, some of our current systems will still be required for functions that the Aggie Enterprise system cannot accommodate. More than 70 applications are expected to interface with Oracle as boundary systems and will need to be refactored to align with the new UC Davis Chart of Accounts. For example, UC Davis has solutions already in place that support internal routing and approval processes, like the Online Pre-purchasing system (OPP). The functionality of something like OPP cannot be replicated by Oracle. Rather than trying to force a process into a new system, or forego the functionality, UC Davis is working to integrate existing systems into Aggie Enterprise to ensure that what works well today, will work well (or better) tomorrow.

    The Technology team is working closely with systems owners to review and test boundary systems integration. A monthly office hour is facilitated by the Technology team, if you are interested in joining to support the boundary application effort in your area please reach out to Narinder (Nick) Sahota.

  • Why do we need new system integrations?
  • The existing integrations to the financial system are based on the legacy system requirements. These cannot be translated to the new Oracle Cloud services and, therefore, are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine the required future integrations.
  • What is refactoring?
  • Refactoring describes the effort required to ensure that the UC Davis systems we retain can continue to function with Oracle Cloud Financials. Specifically, this refactoring effort will involve modifying systems that currently hold Full Accounting Unit (FAU) values to be replaced with the new Chart of Accounts (CoA) values and segments.
  • Will we have all our current data in the new system when we go live? What will the data look like?

  • During Design Workshops project work streams and subject matter experts (SMEs) evaluated which data needs to be converted into Oracle. The following initial set of data objects are identified for conversion from retiring source systems to the Oracle system:

    • • From AggieBudget:
      • • Single year budget
    • • From Kuali Financial System (KFS):
      • • GL balances from the 2023 year-end close carry-forward
      • • Open Accounts Receivable invoices, including paid amounts
      • • Active Accounts Receivable Customers
      • • Open Purchase Orders
      • • Open Supplier Agreements
      • • Master Supplier data
      • • Active Credit Memos
      • • Fixed Assets, including depreciation data for active assets (additional conversion of locations from FacilitiesLink)
        • • All fabrication assets
      • • Data for Awards and Capital projects, including:
        • • Awards and Contracts
        • • Sponsors
        • • Principal Investigator(s) listed on awards
        • • Project cost (additional conversion from DCM’s Prism and ebuilder systems)
        • • Project budgets
        • • Project Tasks
        • • Awards Event creation
    • • From Jaggaer (AggieBuy):
      • • Full inventory
      • • Inventory item values
      • • Locations, including delivery, billing, shipping, receipt, and storage addresses
         

    • (The extract above is not intended to be comprehensive.)

      Additionally, employee information is required for various functions in Oracle, and will need to be converted; however, UCPath will remain the system of record for employee data. 

      Transactions from KFS will NOT be converted into Oracle Cloud Financials. Historical data will be available, but the scope of that data, and the system for storing it is still under review.

      Functional leads and the Data Conversion team are engaged in iterative data conversion exercises to ensure that information extracted from legacy systems loads and converts correctly. We anticipate that all data identified for conversion will be available in Oracle at go-live, with the exception of the General Ledger (GL) balances from the 2023 year-end close carryforward. To allow time for the completion of fiscal close, this data will be converted after go-live, so there will be a short time frame when there will be deficits.
  • How will we access historical data? How will we be able to compare and map new data to historical data?

  • Historical data will be available for up to two years from Aggie Enterprise goes live, but the range of data and the system location is still to be determined.

    KFS and FIS Decision Support will be decommissioned at some point after go-live. Our system decommissioning and data archival strategy planning has not yet started, however, we will use the UCOP Records Retention Schedule as our starting point for guidance.

    The implementation of our new Chart of Accounts requires complex mapping between our current FAU and the new CoA segment values. We are working with Deloitte to determine the tools which will be available for departments to crosswalk the KFS string with the new Chart of Accounts.

  • Who will be given access to Oracle modules (e.g., PPM)?

  • Access in Oracle can also be referred to as Oracle role provisioning. Oracle roles give users access to data and functions to perform tasks within the system and are based on assignment details (e.g., job title, position, function). Aggie Enterprise role names will be unique to UC Davis to reflect our configuration of the system and will be informed by current system provisions.

    To determine User to Role mapping for Aggie Enterprise, Security Liaisons were identified for each unit. The Aggie Enterprise Risks and Controls team has partnered with these liaisons to map system users into their future state Aggie Enterprise role(s). Unit liaisons received recommended roles for each employee, based on current system access and use. These recommendations were then validated by units and will be used to provision users in future testing environments, and ultimately in production when Aggie Enterprise goes live.

  • What are the different roles in Aggie Enterprise?

  • All employees who need access to view or transact in Aggie Enterprise have been mapped into one of more of the following roles:
     
          • Inquiry: View only access that does not allow the user to transact or approve.
                  – Assigned to anyone who needs access to view any part of Oracle, including Faculty, Staff and Students as appropriate.

          • Initiator (Transactor): Ability to create or act in the system.
                  – Assigned to anyone who will create, manage, upload, enter and correct information in Aggie Enterprise.

          • Approver: Ability to approve transactions.
                   – Assigned to individuals with authority to approve financial transaction on behalf of their unit.
                   – System workflows prevent an approver from approving their own transactions.

    Additional information on system roles is available in the Resource Library.

  • When using Aggie Enterprise, will the user interface be preset, or will we need to manually set that up ourselves?
  • Users will have to set up their user variables the first time they log in. Additionally, Aggie Enterprise users will have modified ability to customize their home page, including adding "favorites". Announcements and recently visited pages will be available in a sidebar menu.
  • I heard that Oracle Cloud Services uses subledgers. What is a subledger? What are the benefits of using a system with subledgers?

  • A subledger is a low-level ledger that captures detailed transactional information to substantiate the monetary values stored in the general ledger. Examples of this detailed information include:

    • • Supplier invoice numbers
    • • Customer payment types
    • • Asset acquisitions information (e.g., purchase date, purchase amount)
       

    In Oracle, the detailed activity within the subledger system then posts to the general ledger at a more summary level through an automated process, the Subledger Accounting (SLA) engine.

    Using a system with subledgers has several benefits, including:

    • • Subledgers provide functionality to deep dive into the GL data, allowing reporting on detailed transactional information, making the data more meaningful
    • • Subledgers make financial reporting from the general ledger more efficient because the data is already summarized at a general level
  • When will I be able to see a demo of Oracle Cloud Financials?  Can I see what the system looks like at UC Merced or UC San Diego?

  • The configuration of the Aggie Enterprise implementation of Oracle Cloud Financials requires a thorough review of our business processes and boundary systems in order to make key design decisions.  Oracle implementation is different for each campus because of the many configuration options and unique UC Davis user stories, so viewing another campus' instance will not provide an accurate depiction of how the UC Davis Oracle environment will work.

    In order to provide users with the most accurate view of the system and minimize retraining, broader access to the system will be rolled out after critical defects have been identified and resolved in the early weeks of UAT testing. The entire UC Davis user base will be given access to an Aggie Enterprise Training Environment in October 2023, supporting hands on training and allowing users to explore the new system.

    In the meantime, there are several resources users can explore to see the new system: 

    Subscribe to the Spreadsheet newsletter to stay informed about future demos and new resources.   

  • How is Oracle going to replace FISDS and the way we use FISDS now?

  • FISDS as you know it today is not a system that we can continue to support because the technology is very old. Although we are retiring the system, the relevant data, aligned with what is required by the retention policy from UCOP, will not go away. We have a plan to migrate the data from FISDS into a different platform, still to be determined, as part of our data archival strategy.

    The Aggie Enterprise team has done extensive analysis of all of the reports that are currently used, including analyzing metrics of who uses these reports and during which time periods. FISDS reports were then reviewed against the “out of the box” reports in Oracle. In many cases, the system already has built in reporting to meet our needs. In other cases, we are working to configure additional Oracle reports, or build Cognos reports that meet stakeholder needs.

    Watch the Introduction to Data and Reporting demo for a first look at some of the data and reporting tools available to support users.

     

  • How do I login to Aggie Enterprise?

  • Aggie Enterprise can be accessed here. 
    Be sure to use "Company Single Sign-On" button when logging in. See Login Instructions for more information. 

  • Once I am logged in to Aggie Enterprise how long before it times out and logs me out? 

  • Aggie Enterprise (Oracle) environment session time is predefined and cannot be edited by UC Davis. Different session time out values are below:
     

    Timeout Type Description Timeout Duration
    Session Lifetime Timeout

    Once you're authenticated in the application, if you're actively working on it, your session remains active for a predefined duration, referred to as the session lifetime timeout period.

    Your session ends after this period, even if you're using the application.    		 8 hours
    Session Inactivity Timeout

    This type of timeout considers the time elapsed since you last sent a request, for example responded to a poll or submitted a form, to the application server.

    After this duration, you get a message and an option to extend the session. If you don't extend the session, you are signed out of it.    		 10 minutes
    Idle Session Timeout

    This type of timeout considers the duration you leave your application idle for. After this duration, you get a message and an option to restart the session.

    If you restart the session, your session timeout duration gets reset. If you don't restart the session, you're signed out of the application.    		 30 minutes
    Browser Inactivity Timeout This type of timeout considers the duration you leave your browser idle for. After this duration, your session ends. 30 minutes
  • Why is my information in Aggie Enterprise showing 1-530-752-1011 as my phone number?
  • All Aggie Enterprise users have been coded with the public UC Davis phone number: 1-530-752-1011. This is by design, and cannot be changed for individual users.
Cutover and Freeze Dates

New - July 19, 2023

  • What is cutover?

  • Cutover is the process of migrating systems, processes and related data from an existing legacy system (e.g., KFS) to a new system (e.g., Oracle). It involves a planned and coordinated set of activities.

    UC Davis Aggie Enterprise cutover is divided into 4 phases:

          • Cutover Preparation and Readiness:
                – Determining freeze dates and business continuity activities
                – Data clean-up
                – Developing and executing Internal communication plans
                – Reviewing infrastructure and technical readiness

          • Pre-Cutover:
                – Preparing and extracting legacy data from existing systems
                – Implementing freeze period
                – Validating security roles

          • Cutover:
                – Converting data into the new system
                – Validating and reconciling converted data
                – Integrating boundary applications
                – Closing legacy systems and decommissioning access

          • Post-Cutover:
                 – Processing backlog transactions (postponed due to freeze)
                 – Providing hypercare support

  • What are freeze dates?

  • A freeze date refers to a specific point in time when the financial records of UC Davis are locked or frozen. Freeze dates can also be considered “cutoff dates”, or the last day to submit something for approval. After the freeze date, no changes (or very limited changes) can be made to the financial data.

    The freeze date plan supports cutover activities as UC Davis moves from legacy systems (e.g., KFS) onto Aggie Enterprise (Oracle), and stabilizes legacy system data for conversion to the new system. These dates are also organized in a sortable, consolidated list.

    Additional cutover and freeze date guidance will be shared in late summer 2023.

  • Will there be any down time where we can't access financial information as the systems switch over?

  • There will a time when we must freeze activities to enable cutover. Users will still have access to existing financial information, however changes (i.e., new transactions) will be held off for a time period.

    This downtime, where we “freeze” activities is crucial to allow for the massive data conversion from our current systems.

Communications, Testing and Training
  • What are the plans for training? When will training start?

  • There is a robust training strategy in place for Aggie Enterprise to ensure that users have the knowledge, skills and abilities to be successful at go-live.

    If you're a transactor in the financial system, knowledge of the new Chart of Accounts is critical to success. Foundational Chart of Accounts (CoA) eLearning courses were published in summer 2022. For a closer look at individual CoA segments, micro-learning videos and supplemental resources have also been developed.

    Training on the new Aggie Enterprise system (supported by Oracle Cloud Financials) and business processes will be rolled out in a phased approach, beginning in summer 2023. A suite of How-to Guides and Resources, eLearning, and Instructor Led Training (ILT) is currently being developed.

    Course releases will be announced via the Spreadsheet newsletter. New courses will also be announced at Aggie Enterprise Town Halls as they become available. Sign up for The Spreadsheet newsletter to stay up-to-date.

    The current training timeline includes:

          • June 2023:
                – CoA segment micro-learning videos and supplemental resources

          • July 2023: eLearning courses released in LMS
                – Fixed Assets - 2 courses
                – Accounts Receivable - 1 course

          • August 2023: eLearning courses released in LMS
                – General Ledger - 2 courses
                – Project Portfolio Management (PPM) - 5 courses
                – Procure to Pay (Supply Chain) – 5 courses

          • October 2023: Open enrollment for Instructor-led Training
                – Accounts Receivable – 1 course
                – General Ledger – 1 course
                – Project Portfolio Management – 2 courses

    You can find and register for courses as they become available via the UC Learning Center. Search for Aggie Enterprise.

  • When will we get access to a training environment? Can staff have access to a training instance where we can learn and explore as time permits?

  • In order to provide users with the most accurate view of the system and minimize retraining, broader access to the system will be rolled out after critical defects have been identified and resolved in the early weeks of UAT testing.

    The entire UC Davis user base will be given access to an Aggie Enterprise Hands-on Environment in October 2023, supporting Instructor-Led training and allowing users to explore the new system.

  • I keep hearing about testing (SUAT, UAT, etc.). Who is participating in these testing cycles?

  • Super User Acceptance Testing (SUAT) ran from May 1 through August 4, 2023. Testers in this cycle are members of our Super User cohort, comprised of appointed individuals who will serve as the go-to resource for their unit’s transition to Aggie Enterprise. This testing cycle helped the project team determine system readiness for go-live, and the hands-on exposure to Oracle helped prepare Super Users to serve as the front-line resource for their unit (post go-live).

    User Acceptance Testing (UAT) will take place from September 11 through October 20, 2023. While there may be some cross-over with SUAT participants, UAT will welcome largely a new set of testers, expanding exposure to Aggie Enterprise. This diverse group of volunteers and appointed individuals from across UC Davis will execute test scenarios, troubleshoot and ultimately provide formal acceptance of the system.

    Others who are interested in seeing the system, but have not been selected as formal testers, will be granted access to an Oracle Training Environment in October, and will explore the system through hands-on training.

  • What opportunities will be available after go-live to discuss challenges and collaborate with others on tips and tricks?

  • The Aggie Enterprise timeline includes post go-live hypercare. During hypercare, Aggie Enterprise project team resources and Super Users will be available to provide enhanced care and issue resolution to ensure a smooth transition.

    Hypercare includes four support pillars:

    • • Self-Service Materials such as:
      • - Training
      • - FAQs
      • - Micro-learning videos
      • - Job aids
      • - Knowledge articles
         
    • • ServiceNow Support
      • - ServiceNow forms to generate incident tickets.
      • - Incident workflow to triage issues and escalate to command center as needed.
         
    • • A dedicated Aggie Enterprise Command Center
      • - Virtual and on-site internal support teams to provide resolution to urgent support requests.
         
    • • Office Hours
      • - Forums for end users to ask non-urgent questions, including “how to…”, and get answers around processes and system navigation.

Timeline Extension

Updated Nov. 8, 2022

  • What prompted the 6-month extension to a January 1, 2024, go-live?

  • Considerable outreach to stakeholders over the past several months informed the decision to allow for a one-time extension of the Aggie Enterprise go-live date from July 1, 2023, to January 1, 2024. Based on concerns about department resource constraints, competing priorities and overall lack of comfort with the planned timeline, the leadership team made the decision to extend the timeline by six months. The additional time does not mean work on the project will pause; rather it will be used to ensure optimization of our business processes, extend testing cycles, and expand end-user training, and change management activities.

  • What are some of the benefits of additional time?

  • The extension creates an opportunity for units to complete their Chart of Accounts review and mapping activities, and truly adopt the new Chart of Accounts. Additionally, by going live on January 1, we avoid the added pressure of an enterprise-wide system implementation coinciding with fiscal year-end close activities. Largely the extension provides more time to test, train and ensure our teams are prepared for the change. There are some additional benefits to a cutover at the calendar year end, including tax reporting and UC Office of the President fixed asset capitalization reporting.

  • I thought UC Office of the President mandated that all UCs transition to the Common Chart of Accounts by July 1, 2023. How does this extension meet those requirements? And when will we be expected to adopt the new CoA?

  • UC Office of the President’s mandate has not changed, UC Davis is still expected to report our financial transactions on the new Common Chart of Accounts beginning July 1, 2023. While UCD must report financial information to UCOP in the new Common Chart of Accounts (CCoA) format beginning July 1, 2023, the campus will adopt the new CCoA on January 1, 2024, concurrent with the Aggie Enterprise launch. The conversion of financial data from our current chart of accounts into the new CCoA during that interim period will be managed centrally. So, until January 1, 2024, when Aggie Enterprise goes live, users will continue transacting in KFS with the existing FAU.

    However, in order to facilitate reporting financials in the new CCoA format, formal Chart of Accounts Data Governance has been implemented in KFS effective July 1, 2023. To support the translation of financial date from KFS FAU to the new Chart of Accounts, units will be required to provide FAU to CoA mapping each time a new KFS value is requested. Additional details about Data Governance and requirements when requesting new values can be found on the Data Governance webpage.

  • January is typically when the annual budget planning cycle begins. Will we be expected to plan in the new system?

  • Planning for FY2024 and FY2025 will be completed in AggieBudget using the current chart of accounts. BIA has a process for converting AggieBudget planning data for a one-time import to Oracle Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) at the end of the FY2025 planning cycle.

    Watch the Aggie Budget User Group recording for more about the FY2024 Planning timeline and how the Aggie Enterprise project extension will impact FY25.

  • Will KFS data from July 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023, be available in Aggie Enterprise (Oracle Cloud Financials)?

  • Balances from KFS will be converted to Oracle, so you will have a complete year-end picture of your FY2024 financials in Oracle by June 30, 2024.  You will have to use KFS and FIS-Decision Support to view detailed transactions from the period 7/1/23-12/31/23.