Frequently Asked Questions

General | Procurement and Payments | Contract & Grants

General

When did Banner Finance go "live"?

Banner Finance went "live" on Monday, October 10, 2005.

What is a FOAP and how do I find out what my FOAP is?

FOAP is the term for what you used to call an "account number" in FRS. FOAP stands for: Fund, Organization, Account, and Program. A complete listing of the FOAP elements can be found via the E-Print reports FGRFNDH (Fund Hierarchy), FGRORGH (Organization Hierarchy), FGRACTH (Account Code Hierarchy), and FGRPRGH (Program Code Hierarchy). These reports are refreshed on a weekly basis. The link to E-Print is found in the center of the AU Access Finance tab.

A Banner Translator is linked on the Finance AU Access tab that allows users to take an existing FRS account number and convert it to its Banner equivalent FOAP. In addition, the translator allows a user to put in a FOP and have the FRS account number returned, a "Reverse Translator".

What about all the forms we've used in the past?

With the exception of the purchase requisition, forms are available via the Business & Finance Forms web page: http://www.auburn.edu/administration/business-finance/forms.

Purchase requisitions are generated, routed and approved electronically.

How do you print documents from Banner SSB?

You can choose "print screen" while on the applicable screen or, where available, download information into and Excel spreadsheet.

If you are having trouble printing screens in Banner (very small or hard to read), the problem is usually related to how the Java VM works on your machine. The following software may be helpful with this issue (the software is freeware so support is limited): http://www.gadwin.com/download/ps_setup.exe

Is Banner secure? Will my password be secure when I use it to access Banner?

Yes, while the familiar padlock symbol does not currently appear on the Banner website, the site is secure. OIT is working on having the padlock appear in the bottom right hand side of the page.

How are monthly reports distributed?

Monthly financial reports (FGRBDSC and FGRODTA) are distributed via E-Print. The link to E-Print is found in the center of the AU Access Finance tab.

How do I save the information that I am looking at in Banner into an Excel file?

From a Banner form, select the HELP option on the menu bar; select Extract data with Key, or Extract Data with no Key (Note: the key is the first block of date used to query the list (not all forms have a key block)); A dialog box will popup (if this does not popup, try holding down the CTRL key until the popup block appears); you can select open or save to create your Excel worksheet

Procurement & Payments

I've heard that vendors have to register to be able to do business with AU? How does that work?

Vendors register to do business on-line at the AU Vendor Center. This registration process allows the vendor to self report commodity information (products they can offer AU), request to be put on the AU and/or AUM bid lists, register as a SBA vendor, and sign up for the FastPay payment direct deposit service. This process yields us a cleaner vendor file in Banner and allowed our vendors to self report on key reporting functions. Vendors can register via the AU Vendor center at: http://vendor.auburnuniversity.net.

The following should register via the Vendor Center to do business with AU: Vendors, Consultants, Speakers and Performing artists, Stipend and Honorarium recipients, and Non-employee or Non-student award winners. The following should not register via the Vendor Center for payments to be made: AU/AUM/ACES Employees, AU/AUM Students, Interviewees, Research Participant payees, Non-student refundees, Petty Cash or Research Participant Fund custodians.

How will printing orders be approved and routed?

All orders for printed materials must be sent to the Office of Communications and Marketing for approval. For orders $2,500 or greater, the department will need to prepare a Purchase Requisition following approval of the design by OCM.

How will we reflect shipping charges on Purchase Requisitions?

Shipping charges can simply be listed as "additional charges" on your Purchase Requisition

Are copies of purchase orders issued sent to the requesting department?

No, a paper copy of the PO is not sent to the requesting department. Instead, PPS sends the requestor an e-mail notice containing the purchase requisition number and corresponding purchase order number.

What if my location doesn't have a "ship code" loaded in Banner?

To have your "ship code" loaded into Banner, please contact Missty Kennedy at: kennem1@auburn.edu. In your note, please include the shipping address or addresses that need to be included.

What do I do if I am not receiving email notifications for my travel reimbursement?

Travel reimbursement notifications are sent to your Auburn GroupWise mailbox. The notification emails may be sent to your Junk Mail folder, or deleted, depending on your setup in GroupWise.

If the block list is active then the junk mail filters are on and you will need to add Auburn.Univ.PPS@auburn.edu to the allow list to prevent the email message from being flagged as Spam.

Contract & Grants

How do I find out the balance for my grants?

In Banner Admin use the FRIGITD or go to E-Print and view the monthly FRRGITD report.

How do I find my grants by ORG?

In Banner Admin use the FRIORGH form.

How do I find my grant by PI?

In Banner Admin use the FRIPSTG form. You can either use the PI's Banner ID or the GID to search.

How do I find my grant by Agency?

In Banner Admin use the FRIASTG form.

How do I find out the PI for my grant?

In Banner Admin use the FRIGRNT form.

How do I find the indirect cost rate for a grant?

In Banner Admin look up the fund number by querying on FTMFUND. Go to Options/IC CS Cost Code Information [FRMFUND].

When is the final report/invoice due for a grant?

Look on FRAGRNT; the "Expenditure End Date" is the due date.