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Setting Up Cost Center Codes

Emily Yeomans
  • Updated

Within Department Manager, codes are required to enter transactions. User defined cost centers allow users to perform cost accounting functions. Like accounts, cost centers are used at the transaction level. They may either subdivide accounts or be independent of accounts.

Cost centers are controlled by Department administrators and are not usually part of the mainframe general ledger package used by the University or Hospital. During the report generation process, users may select subsets of information by cost center or produce reports that are grouped and totaled by cost center.

Entering Information on Cost Centers

  1. In the menu, click File. 
  2. Click Cost Centers. 

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  3. On the initial set-up screen, click Edit and then Insert to begin a new entry.

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Cost Center Fields

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  1. Cost Center Code: the cost center code that the user is defining.
  2. Object Set: the set of object codes the cost center uses.
  3. Department: the department associated with the cost center.
  4. Division: the division associated with the cost center and is used by the security system.
  5. Prior Year Cost Center:
  6. Description: the description of the cost center code.

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  1. Status: designates whether the cost center is active or terminated.
  2. Budget Dates: the current budget period starting date for the cost center.
  3. Project Dates: the current project period starting date for the cost center.
  4. Do NOT Show Online:
  5. Project System Grid:
  6. Accounting Admin:

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  1. Cost Center Type: the cost center type and is used to group cost center numbers for balance and reporting purposes.
  2. PI ID: the Principal Investigator or faculty member associated with the cost center. When the user chooses the PI ID number from the drop down menu, the system automatically fills in the PI’s name in the next field.
  3. Notes: additional information about the cost center.
  4. Default Objcode Group: a default object code grouping for reports. The choices are Major-Groups reports by Major object codes defined in the database; Budget-Groups reports by Budget object codes defined in the database; Minor-Groups reports by all minor codes defined in the database.
  5. Year End Type: the type of year-end the cost center has. The choices are Carry Over-Money is carried over; Lose-Money is lost; None-No year end.
  6. Use with Personnel: controls drop-down in personnel salary distribution grid.
  7. Fiscal Year Account: identifies the account as a fiscal year account.
  8. UA1-4: user-defined dates
  9. ReqLoc:
  10. UD1-4: user-defined attributes codes

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