Audit Menu Explained!

The menu that you are currently using only contains a small subset of the options found in the full Audit and Administration menu. We've done this so that you can see the most important options and at the same time ensure that all your information remains confidential. With the current menu, you can audit reports, do research on your expenses, and maintain your test user base. This should give you a good feel for how the expense report process is handled.

To view the other Admin and Audit menu option, you can either download and install the software from SourceForge.net or contact us. The links to do either of these items are located on our home page

Full Menu Contents:

The options under 'Audit' provide you with working audit queues.   A working queue is a list of reports from which you can select a report to edit or approve for further processing.  As an auditor, once you approve a report for further processing, it can be be paid.

Edit and Audit - All the reports that you can audit as shown in a working queue.  Normally these are reports that have been approved and are ready for further processing.  Batch auditing is possible from this screen.

Fast Track - This is a working queue for all the reports that you can audit that do not require any additional paper documentation to process.  The idea is that these reports can be processed quickly via the screen.

Report Selection - You can create a working queue based on your own parameters.  You can select reports based on status, reporter, reference # and date range.  Some reports may appear that you cannot edit or audit, however, you can review them.

Process:

Release for Payment - This option creates the daily payment batch.   Once a report has audited, it can be released for payment with this option.  A report that is added to the daily batch simply has its status updated.  There is no other processing done at this point.  Reports that have been audited can be excluded from the batch creation process by unchecking them.

EOD Feed Creation - Reports that are part of a batch are used to create export files for processing by other systems.  EOD feeds can be run for any batch date.

Payment Messages - Generates e-mail notifications that a report has been processed and payment has been made.  This option is usually run right after the EOD Feed Creation for a batch.  Reports, from a selected batch, can be excluded from having the e-mail message sent out by unchecking them.

Follow-up Notifications - Generates e-mail messages that remind a reporter or approver that they have expense reports that need some sort of attention.   Messages are generated to remind approvers to approve (or reject) outstanding reports after a specified period of time.  E-mail messages are sent to an approver's mamanger are a spcified period of time.  Reporters are also remind if they have reports, as indicated by a manager reject status, that require attention.

Prenote Items -  Creates an ACH prenote file.  If you are paying reporters via ACH, you bank may require you to prenote payees when you first set them up.

OK Prenoting - Changes the reporter's Reimbursement Method from 'VERIFYING' to 'ACH'.  This is usually done 10 days after a user has been prenoted and no rejection has been returned.  Consult your bank for specific information regarding your process.  Once a reporter's Reimbursement Method has been changed to 'ACH', they will be included the batch ACH feed.

Latest EOD Journal - Prints out a list of all standard debit and credit entries for the last run EOD Feed Creation.    As part of the standard release, ESS produces a 'SimpleGL.dat' file that contains debits and credits.   This is the file that is used to generate the 'Latest EOD Journal'.  Consult ESS's "Professional Services Manual" for more information on this feed.

Latest Payments -  Prints out a list of all standard paymensfor the last run EOD Feed Creation.    As part of the standard release, ESS produces a 'SimplePayment.dat' file that contains payment information.   This is the file that is used to generate the 'Latest Payments'.  Consult ESS's "Professional Services Manual" for more information on this feed.

Research:

Simple Inquiries - This is a list of reports that can be run from the database.  New reports can be created by modifying the 'reports.xml' file.    Consult ESS's "Professional Services Manual" for more information.

SQL Selection - Simple SQL select statements are executed against the database for ad hoc retrievals.

Misc:

Manage Personal Data -  Primarily used under direction of technical support in problem solving.

Logout - Logs the current user out of the system.

User File:

This options allow auditors and administrators to add users and modify user profiles.

Primary Info - Primary information on the user such as name, email, phone, approval dollar limit, menu used and special accounting codes.  Also allows the users password to be reset.

ACH Info - Contains information necessary to make an ACH transfer such as the bank routiing code, account numbers and account type.  Fields required to manage prenote process are found on this screen

Card Info - Maps credit card numbers to users.  

Fleet Vehicle Info - This screen maintains information on the reporters fleet vehicle if they have one.

Misc.  Info - Fields from the user file that aren't always used.  These include special mileage rate, reimbursement type and extra site defined fields.

File Editors:

These options allow auditors to control the setup of system tables.   These tables define how ESS processes reports and provide edit checks, as well as selection lists.

Clients - Client list that is used on the purpose screen.   This information is often used for billing or cost/benefit purposes.

Departments - Departments with associated accounting, admin and manager information.  Used create a valid list of department to which expense can be assigned.  These mappings are also used in the EOD feed generation process.

Expense Types - List of valid expense types and associated accounting information.  Expense types also provide the mechanism to enforce data entry requirements based upon the expense being entered such as comment required, merchant required, dedicated payment methods, etc.

Payment Methods - List of payment methods, such as cash, prepaid, and credit card along with associated accounting information.

Projects - Project list that is used on the purpose screen.   Project numbers can track an expense to a specific project for accounting and billing purposes.

Merchants - List of merchants used to track expenses.

Company Codes - List if legal entity codes.  Departments are a subset of companies in ESS.  Used for accounting purposes

Locations/Cities - List of names that map expense purposes to geographical locations.  Used by the guidelines to allow polices to be adjusted based on where the reporter is incurring the expense.  For example, a hotel in New York can be expected to cost more that a hotel room in Souix Falls.

Guidelines - The guideline table is used to express allowable expense limits in a way that they can be interpreted by the guideline check routines.

State Table - Normally not used by audit personnel.  This table describes what to do during report submission such whether to accept a report is a previous copy exists, alternate routing based on a guideline check (pass/fail) and what to do if an auditor submitted the report.

Special Handling - General table that hold information specific to a customized EOD feed.

Pre-populated Items:

Pre-populated items are items, such as credit card charges, that are brought in from external sources.  There main purpose is to allow reporters to create expense reports quickly with data that is already in the system.  They are also used to match expenses to external items so that all items are accounted for.

Database Access - This option allows the auditors access to the pre-populated database to effect changes.

Reconcilement - The reconcilement option lets the auditor match user entered/selected expenses against the pre-populated items so that all items are accounted for.

Import a File - Imports a file from a credit card vendor

System Admin:

Shoutdown Message -

EOD Reset - The EOD process can only be run by one person at a time.  In the event that there is a software failure this option will return ESS to a state where the EOD can be rerun.

Current Usage - Display current users and which reports are being edited by the auditors.  Since ESS is a peer-to-peer system, this list may not be totally accurate over the short run.

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