Interfacing setup information

Use this procedure to import activity and activity group information into Project Accounting, and contract information into Billing and Revenue Management.

  1. Access Setup Interface Adjustment (AC56.1).
  2. Specify or select the header information as needed.
    Run Group

    Specify or select the run group to use to import the setup data. A Run Group is used to group records together for interfacing.

    Activity Group

    Specify or select the activity group with which the imported record is associated. If you are adding a level 1 activity with this import record, then the activity group is required. The activity group may or may not already exist. An activity group is created in case there is none existing.

    Description

    Specify a description of the activity group if the group does not already exist. If the activity group already exists, the description is displayed here.

    Activity

    Specify or select the activity with which the imported record will be associated. This must be an activity that does not already exist in the Activity Interface and Activity files. Only new activities can be loaded using this form.

    Description

    Specify a description for the activity.

  3. On the Main tab, use these guidelines to specify the field values:
    Activity Group Template

    Select the activity group template to use to create the new activity group for this import record. If you selected an activity group that already exists, leave this field blank. Activity group templates are defined on Activity Group Template (AC70.1).

    Activity Group Currency

    Select the currency code (base currency) for the activity group. If you specify a currency code here and are also using an activity group template, this currency will override the currency on the activity group template. All records within an activity group should have the same currency.

    Act Grp Attribute Template

    Select the activity group attribute template to use to create the activity for this import record. Activity group attribute templates are defined on Attribute Template (MX05.1).

    The activity group attribute template can only be used if the import program is creating the activity group. If the activity group already exists, then leave this field blank.

    Activity Grp POP Template

    Select the period of performance template to use to create the activity group for this import record. Period of performance templates are defined on Period of Performance Template (AC10.7).

    The activity group period of performance template is used only if the import program is creating the activity group. If the activity group already exists, then leave this field blank.

    This field is only used if period of performance dates are applied at the activity group level. If they are applied at the activity level instead, then the Activity POP Template is used.

    Activity Template

    Select the activity template to use to create the activity for this import record. Activity templates are defined on Activity Template (AC71.1).

    Parent Activity

    Specify or select the parent activity associated with this record. The parent activity is the activity that is directly above the activity being loaded. The parent activity is used to automatically generate the level address. If you are adding a level 1 activity with this record, then the parent activity is not applicable. For all other activities, it is required.

    Activity Type

    Select S (Summary), C (Contract) or P (Posting) to identify the type of activity imported.

    Activity Level

    Specify the activity level for the activity imported. The level identifies the location of the activity in the activity group structure. Project Accounting uses the level address to consolidate and report information for activities in the activity group.

    Activity Date Range

    Specify the beginning and end dates for the activity date range. The activity date range is used to validate that transactions entered for an activity are within the dates established for that activity. The activity date range must be within the date range for the activity group. If an activity begin date is entered and you selected an activity template, this value will override the begin date from the activity template. If no begin date is entered, the begin date entered on the template is used.

    If no date is entered in this field or on the activity template, then this date defaults from the activity group.

    Activity Default Account

    Specify or select the GL company, accounting unit, account, and subaccount to use as the default for this activity within Project Accounting. If no values are entered, then the values from the activity template are used.

    Activity Currency

    Specify or select the currency associated with the activity record loaded. The currency for summary and contract activities is required to be the same as the base currency of the activity group. (The currency for posting activities can be different.) If an activity currency is entered, it overrides the currency entered on the activity template.

    If no activity currency is entered, then the currency entered on the template is used. If no currency is entered here or on the activity template, then the currency defaults from the activity group.

    Activity Attribute Template

    Select the activity attribute template used to load activity attributes and their values from an MX template to Activity Attribute (AC13.1). This is one of two ways to add attributes via this program. The other way is to load attributes into the standard activity attribute file and use the same run group as this interface file. The Setup Interface program (AC560) assumes an object type of ACTVY.

    Activity POP Template

    Select the period of performance template to use to create the activity for this import record. Period of performance templates are defined on Period of Performance Template (AC10.7).

    This field is only used if period of performance dates are applied at the activity level. If they are applied at the activity group level instead, then the Activity Group POP Template is used.

  4. On the Assignment tab, use these guidelines to specify the field values:
    Note: You only need to specify values on this tab if you want to specify account category and account assignment overrides for the activity being created by the interface program.
    From Activity Group

    Specify or select the activity group from which account assignments you want to copy.

    The From Activity Group field is used for copying account assignments that are at the activity group level. If the assignments are required at the activity level, then the From Activity field is used instead.

    Note:  If the activity group on this import record already exists, it may also have existing GL account assignment records. If you select an activity group is this field, then the GL account assignments for the selected activity group will overwrite any GL account assignment information that may already exist for the activity group. To use any existing GL account assignments, leave this field blank.
    From Activity

    Specify or select the activity from which the account category assignments and account assignments will be copied.

    The From Activity field is used for copying account category and account assignments that are at the activity level. If the assignments are required at the activity group level, then the From Activity Group field is used instead.

  5. On the Contract tab, use these guidelines to specify the field values:
    Contract

    Specify the contract for which this import record is created. If you enter a contract here, then the activity on the Main tab must be a contract activity.

    Description

    Specify a description for the contract.

    Contract Type

    Specify or select the type of contract being created using the setup interface program. Valid values are Product (1), Maintenance (2), Product and Maintenance (3), and Services (4). If a Contract Template is entered, then this field is required and must be Services (4).

    Contract Template

    Specify the name of the contract template that you will use to create this record. Contract templates are maintained on Contract Template (BR47.1) and can only be used with Services (Contract Type=4) contracts.

    Contract Account Template

    Specify the contract account template that you will use to create the contract accounts form for this record. This field is valid only for Services (4) type contracts. Contract account templates are maintained on Contract Account Template (BR47.2).

    Contract Currency

    Specify or select the currency associated with the contract. The currency entered here determines the currency that the invoice is displayed in, as well as the transaction currency with which Billing and Revenue (BR) transactions are created.

    Fixed Exchange

    The fixed exchange flag determines if a contract will have a fixed exchange rate over the life of the contract, or if it will fluctuate based on currency exchange rates. Valid values are Y (Yes) for fixed currency and N (No) for non-fixed currency. This field is required and only valid for Services (Contract Type=4) contracts, and must be set to Y when using the activity group currency.

    Exchange Rate

    If Fixed Exchange is Y, then enter the exchange rate to use when exchanging billing and revenue amounts between the contract currency and the transaction/base currency. If Fixed Exchange = N, then leave this field blank. This field is valid only for Services (Contract Type = 4).

    Customer PO Number

    Specify the Customer PO number for the contract.

    Payment Code

    Specify the payment code for the maintenance (type 2 or 3) contract. This field is not used with product (type 1) or services (type 4) contracts.

  6. On the Customer tab, use these guidelines to specify the field values:
    AR Company

    Specify or select the AR company associated with the contract being imported. This company must already exist in Accounts Receivable.

    AR Customer

    Specify the AR customer associated with the contract being imported. This customer must already exist in Accounts Receivable.

    Customer Invoice Option

    Type the customer invoice option associated will this contract. Customer invoice options identify how an invoice will print and interface for a particular contract.

    Either Customer Invoice Option or Customer Template is required. If the customer already exists on Customer (BR11.1), select the Customer Invoice Option for the customer. If the customer does not already exist, then leave this field blank.

    Customer Template

    Specify the customer template associated with this contract.

    Either Customer Invoice Option or Customer Template is required. If the customer does not exist on Customer (BR11.1), then select the Customer Template. If the customer already exists, then leave this field blank.

    Customer templates are defined on Customer Template (BR48.1).

    Renew Date

    Specify the date on which the current maintenance schedule for this customer will end. This field is not used with product (type 1) or services (type 4) contracts.

  7. Select the Add form action to add the information you want to import.
  8. Access Setup Interface (AC560) to import the information you just entered. Use the following guidelines to enter field values:
    Run Group

    Specify or select the run group you will use to import the setup data. A run group is used to group sets of import records for processing.

    Activity Group

    Specify or select the name of the activity group for which you want to import records. If the activity group is left blank, then all records within the Run Group are processed.

    Activity Attributes

    Select whether or not to interface activity attributes that exist in the Activity Attribute Interface file. Valid values are Y (Yes) and N (No). If you select Yes, specific attribute values are imported for the activities within the selected run group and activity group. If you are using an attribute template to apply the same attributes to all activities, then select No for this field.

    Update

    Select what type of database update to perform. These are the valid options:

    • Y = Yes

    • N = No

    • A = Assign Activity Groups

    If you select Yes, then the database is updated with the imported records.

    If you select No, then the database is not updated. A report lists the updates that the program would have made, but does not actually perform the updates.

    If you select Assign Activity Groups, then the activity group portion of this program will run in update mode by adding the activity group to the interface file. The rest of this program processing (adding activities, contracts, attributes, etc.) occurs in non-update mode.

  9. Select the Add form action to add the job.
  10. Submit the job.