Defining activity group templates

Category Structure

Specify or select the account category structure for the activity group. The account category structure determines which account categories are available for the activity group.

Note: You can set up specific posting activity/account category assignments on Override Account Categories (AC06.1), if necessary. Any relationships set up on AC06.1 override the parameters of the account category structure that you choose here.

Base Currency

Select the operating currency for the activity group. This is the currency used for reporting and inquiries at the activity group level. The activity group base currency determines the currency that you must assign to summary level and contract activities within the activity group.

Calendar

Select the calendar that you want to assign to the activity group.

Date Range

Specify the dates for the valid time period (dates of operation) for the activity group. You can use any dates that you want, as long as they are supported by the years and periods in the calendar you assign to the activity group.

Security

Enable security for the activity group by entering a 4-digit number.

If there is a one-to-one relationship between the activity group and a General Ledger company, then you can use the General Ledger company number. If there is not a one-to-one relationship between the activity group and the General Ledger company, use a unique number to identify the activity group in Lawson security.

Activities act as process levels in Lawson security. To set security on specific activities within the group, name the activities carefully and set security on a range of activities. For more information on security, see your Lawson security administrator.

Status

Select the activity group status. The default status is Open. If you are using activities as a subset of General Ledger, then this must be GL Only.

Output Measure

Specify a numeric activity group output measure and a description. The output measure is used on Activity Group Output Measure Analysis (AC93 and AC493) to calculate a per unit cost for the activity group. For example, if the activity group is for construction of a new store, then you might use the store's number of square feet as the output measure to get a cost per square foot.

Invoice Audit

Select Yes (Y) or No (N) to indicate whether you want to keep an audit trail of invoice changes. The default setting is No. You do not have to select Yes to edit invoice amounts.

Change Order Audit

Select Yes to keep an audit trail of budget change orders. The default setting is No. You do not have to set this to Yes to use change orders.

Balances

Summary Activity

Select Yes to consolidate activity amounts in summary level activities and at the activity group level. It is recommended that you accept the default, which is Yes. To preserve data integrity, you cannot change this parameter from No to Yes.

Summary Acct Cat

Select Yes to consolidate activity amounts in the lowest level summary account categories (not all levels). It is recommended that you accept the default, which is Yes. To preserve data integrity, you cannot change this parameter from No to Yes.

Accounting Unit

Select Yes to maintain balances in activities by account category, company, and accounting unit. This lets you acquire company and accounting unit balances without building them into your activity structure. To preserve data integrity, you cannot change this parameter from No to Yes.

If you set this option to Yes, then you will need to run Accounting Unit Balance Post (AC191) after you post transactions using Activity Posting (AC190) or you will need to run Activity Posting (AC190) with the Post Acct Unit Balances field set to Yes.

Note: You must select Yes if you plan to follow the originator of expense in revenue recognition.

Billing LTD

If you select Yes, then this information can be included on customer invoices.

Resource

Select Yes to maintain resource balances in activities. If you selected Yes in the Acct Unit Balances field, then the balances are maintained by activity, account category, company, accounting unit, and resource. If you selected No in the Acct Unit Balances field, then the balances are maintained by activity, account category, and resource.

To preserve data integrity, you cannot change this parameter from No to Yes.

If you select Yes, then you will need to run Accounting Unit Balance Post (AC191) after you post transactions using Activity Posting (AC190) or you will need to run Activity Posting (AC190) with the Post Acct Unit Balances field set to Yes.

Validation

Employee

If you use the Lawson Human Resources application, then this field determines how employees used in transactions are validated during data entry.

If you select Yes, then you must assign employee resources to activities in order to enter transactions containing an employee and an activity. You can define resources on HR Employee Assignment (AC03.3).

Date

Transactions posted to activities must fall within a date range assigned to the activity. Indicate whether you want the system to use the posting date or transaction date in the transaction record when the validation is performed. For example, you might incur time on an activity on June 7 (transaction date), but the time falls within the pay period ending June 15 (posting date).

• Select Posting Date (P) to use the posting date for the transaction. If the posting date is before the activity begin date or later than the activity's end date, then the transaction is not permitted.

• Select Transaction Date (T) to use the date when the transaction was incurred. If the transaction date is before the activity begin date or later than the activity's end date, then the transaction is not permitted.

Note: If you are using period of performance dates, then the transaction or post date is compared against the POP dates for a system code, instead of the activity dates.

Resource

Select whether you want to validate AC person and equipment resources in transactions.

Bill Rate Calc

Select Posting (P) or Transaction (T) date to determine which date to use to calculate billing when you run Activity Posting (AC190).

The date type that you select determines which date on the ACTRANS (Unix/Windows) or DBACATN (IBM i) record is used to compare against the effective date on resource rates, assigned resource rates, or billing category rates for the T&M billing method.

Vendor

If you use the Lawson Accounts Payable application, then this determines how vendors used in transactions are validated during data entry.

• Select Yes (Y), and vendor resources must be assigned to activities.

  If you select Yes, then you must assign vendor resources to activities on Vendor Assignment (AC03.4) in order to enter transactions containing a vendor and an activity (including requisitions and purchase orders).

• Select No (N), and vendor resources do not have to be assigned to activities.

Burden Date

Select whether to use the activity posting date (P) or transaction date (T) to find the burden rate when burden transactions are created.

Asset

If you use the Lawson Asset Management application and plan to capitalize activities, then this field determines whether users are required to enter an asset Location and Division on the Defaults tab in Activity (AC10). When the location and division are known at the time the activity is created, set this option to Yes.

POP Date

Select Yes to allow the application to search for period of performance dates for the activity group.

If you set this field to Yes, and a system code has period of performance dates, then the period of performance dates are used for the date edit.

GL Acct Assignment

Select the level of GL account validation for the activity group. These are the available options:

• GL Only Activity Group

• No

• Yes-Substitute error suspense when assignment is not valid on Account Assignment (AC07.1)

• Yes-Require valid assignment on Account Assignment (AC07.1)

Other

Calculate Burdens

Select Yes (Y) to process burdens for activities in the activity group.

Burdens are transactions generated automatically during Activity Posting (AC190) to track additional costs associated with activities.

PR Commitment

Select Yes (Y) to create Payroll commitments.

Use these guidelines to specify the field values:

Budget Checking

Select one of these options to determine the budget time frame to use for budget edits:

• Use Period Edit (2) to perform the edit using the active period-to-date budget.

• Use Annual Edit (3) to perform the edit using the active year-to-date budget.

• Use Total Edit (4) to perform the edit using the active life-to-date budget.

• Use No Edit (1) (the default) if you do not wish to enable budget edits.

If budget amounts are validated, then the system validates whether actuals plus commitments are less than or equal to the budget plus the budget tolerance. The edits are performed in the applications that you select in System Codes (GL01.4).

Note: Period Edit and Annual Edit options are not valid with a Life Only budget.

Level

Select one of these options to determine the budget level to use for budget edits:

• Use Activity-Acct Cat (1) to perform the edit using the budget for the activity and account category specified in the transaction.

• Use Activity Group (2) to perform the edit using the activity group budget. The system uses the budget for the activity group associated with the activity in the transaction.

• Use Activity (3) to perform the edit using the total budgets for all account categories in the activity specified in the transaction.

• Use Activity—Summary Account Cat (4) to perform the edit using the budget for the summary account category in the activity specified in the transaction.

• Use Contract Funding (5) for Grant Billing Activity Groups. The contract funding budget edit compares project costs to the contract budget amount stored on the Multi-Funded Contract (GM20.1). This edit allows you to define a budget at the Project/contract level. Other budget edits require the entry of budgets at the posting activity account category level and are maintained in Activity Budget (AC20). If the contract funding budget edit is selected at the Activity Group (AC00) level it can not be overridden a the posting level activity (AC10).

Tolerance

Specify the percentage by which the budget can be exceeded. For example, to allow budgets to be exceeded by 5 percent, specify 5.00.

Estimated Maximum

Specify the maximum budget allowed for the activity group. This amount includes the budget amounts for each activity within the activity group. The Allocated field displays the amount used from the budget.

This is informational only, and produces a warning message during activity budget entry when the total activity budgets exceed the maximum. The warning message appears on AC20.2 (Activity Budget) to indicate that the total activity budget exceeds the maximum amount. It does not prevent you from exceeding the budget.

Name

Specify a description of the activity levels that you want in the activity group. Examples of levels are project, phase, task, contract, and so on. You can define up to five levels of activities.

Size

Specify the size of each level, which determines the maximum number of activities you can define at that level.

Note: You can change a level's description at a later date, but you cannot change a level's size. Ensure that there is enough room for all the activities you need at a given level.

Currency Table

Select a currency table. The currency table stores currency relationships and exchange rates that will be used to convert transaction amounts to the activity group currency, the activity group's report currencies, and the posting activity currency.

Report Currency

Specify up to two currency names and associate each with a currency code from the Lawson Currency application. You can inquire and report on activity amounts using the base currency or report currencies.

Note: The report currencies you choose in the activity group determine the report currencies you can have in activities. You cannot specify a different report currency in activities.

If you are using Billing and Revenue Management, then we recommend that you assign one of your reporting currencies or base currency to match the Invoice Currency on Contract Parameters (BR10.1). This lets you see balance amounts, such as cost and revenue, in the contract currency.

Activity

Select Yes if changes made to activities are tracked. The default setting is No. You can view changes by running Activity Listing (AC210) or Activity Group Listing (AC200).

Asset

Select Yes if changes made to activity assets are tracked. The default setting is No.

Resource Assignment

Select Yes if changes made to resource assignments are tracked. The default setting is No.

Attribute

Select Yes if changes made to activity attributes are tracked. The default setting is No.

Billing

Select Yes if billing changes are tracked. The default setting is No.

Contract

Select Yes if you want the application to maintain an audit trail of changes to contract information.

Ceiling

Select Yes if changes made to ceiling amounts are tracked. The default setting is No.