SWIFT Update February 10, 2022

 

Negative Encumbrances on Purchase Order Lines

Purchase order lines with negative encumbrance balances create unauthorized spending authority in appropriations. This unauthorized spending authority can lead to appropriations being over-obligated or over-expended once the budgets are closed. Please make every effort to close any unneeded negative encumbrances.

You can search for negative encumbrances using the M_PO_GBL_NEG_ENCUMB_KK query from the SWIFT Query Viewer. Minnesota Management and Budget’s Accounting Services recommends that buyers and budget staff review this query frequently and remedy negative encumbrances as needed as the end of the budget year approaches.

Negative Encumbrances Generally Fall into Three Categories:

1.    The purchase order line was originally established as a positive encumbrance but now has a negative encumbrance balance. The purchase order currently has a negative encumbrance balance and has a "Valid" Budget Check status. If the encumbrance is in the current budget period, increase or close these lines immediately to eliminate the negative encumbrance.
2.    The purchase order line is closed, but the negative encumbrance balance remains. The purchase order has a negative encumbrance remaining and has an “Error" Budget Check status. Make sure to verify that there are funds in the budget to close this type of negative encumbrance. If the encumbrance is in the current year, agencies may need to adjust budgets for the budget check to succeed. If the encumbrance is in a closed budget period, please contact the SWIFT Help Desk.
3.    The agency created a valid negative purchase order line. Agencies may have intentionally entered the purchase order line as a negative value. Please review and verify that these lines are still needed. Also make sure that there is an offsetting positive encumbrance on the same purchase order. If there is not an offsetting encumbrance, the appropriation budget may be over-obligated upon budget close at fiscal year-end.

If you have any questions about purchase order lines with negative encumbrance balances, please feel free to contact the SWIFT Help Desk.

Help Desk Hot Topic: Bilateral Netting

Help Desk Hot Topics feature Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) answered by the SWIFT Help Desk. Use these as a friendly reminder of a process or as an opportunity to learn something new!

Question: Why does my interagency voucher say “Hold” on the Netting field? Should I change this?

Answer: SWIFT defaults to “Hold” on the Netting field on the Payments tab only on interagency vouchers. The “Hold” must be on the Netting field of interagency vouchers because it allows the bilateral netting process to identify and process the interagency payment. Do not change this field. SWIFT will update the Netting field to “Selected” after the payment goes through.

For more information about bilateral netting, see the Quick Reference Guide on the SWIFT website.

EPM Data Warehouse Training  

Are you new to the EPM Data Warehouse and need basic information about SWIFT reports? Do you have questions about which EPM Data Warehouse reports can give you the SWIFT information you need? The SWIFT Training team is offering support for SWIFT reports in the EPM Data Warehouse.

• Training Guides: Find quick reference guides on the EPM Warehouse Training page. 
• Online Labs: Sign up for an informal, online lab about the EPM Data Warehouse. These labs provide training on a SWIFT topic and then allow you to try it along with the SWIFT trainer. Request to be added to the online lab by emailing SWIFT.Project@state.mn.us

Lab Topic	Description	Date	Time
Diverse Spend Reports	Aaron Anderson, from the Office of Equity in Procurement at the Minnesota Department of Administration, will  provide an overview of three reports for supplier diversity spending.	Feb. 17, 2022	9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Create and Save the All Receipts Report Lab*	Learn about a standard All Receipts Report from the Statewide dashboard. Edit the report, create filters, and save a customized report in My Folders.	Feb. 22, 2022	9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Understand the SWIFT Data in the EPM Data Warehouse Webinar	Learn about the structure of canned reports and ways to get the intended SWIFT data effectively and accurately before running or updating reports.	Feb. 24, 2022	9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

*Note: Prior to taking the specialized report labs (e.g., MFR, All Expenditures, All Receipts), we recommend taking the Use Standard Reports lab.

SWIFT Training

The SWIFT Training team offers online training through webinars, training guides, video tutorials, eLearning, and one-on-one sessions.

• Webinars: Enroll in upcoming webinars on Learning Management. See Upcoming Webinars below. Webinars run 60 to 120 minutes and include live demos of SWIFT processes.
• Training Guides and Video Tutorials: Find quick reference guides and a user guide on our Training Guides page and video tutorials on our Training Videos page.
• Introduction to SWIFT eLearning: This online class demonstrates how to navigate SWIFT, use SWIFT reporting tools, and find additional SWIFT resources. After learning this material at your own pace and passing the quiz, you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion.
• One-On-One Sessions: Request a one-on-one session with a SWIFT trainer by emailing us at SWIFT.Project@state.mn.us.

Upcoming SWIFT Webinars

To enroll in a SWIFT webinar or eLearning class, sign in to Self Service or the Administrative Portal and select the Learning Management tile.

1. On the Find Learning tile, enter “SWIFT” in the search field, and press the Search button.
2. From the Search Results, select the webinar you would like to take.
3. Press the Enroll button, and check your email later for an invitation with instructions on how to attend the webinar.

Currently, there are seats still available for the following webinars and eLearning.

Module	Webinars/eLearning	Date	Time
INTRO	Introduction to SWIFT eLearning	Anytime	Self-Paced Class
PO	Overview of Purchase Orders webinar	Feb. 15, 2022	10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
PO	Overview of Purchase Orders webinar	Feb. 15, 2022	1:30 pm. - 3:00 p.m.
AR	Create, Correct, and Verify Direct Journal Deposits webinar	Feb. 15, 2022	9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
AR	Enter Deposits and Apply Payments for SWIFT Invoices webinar	Feb. 16, 2022	9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
AR	Use Maintenance Worksheets to Manage Customer Accounts webinar	Feb. 17, 2022	9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
AP	Create Vouchers in the Accounts Payable webinar	Feb. 23, 2022	9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
EPM	Introduction to EPM Data Warehouse/SWIFT webinar	Feb. 23, 2022	9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
SC	Create Contract Shell webinar	Mar. 08, 2022	9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
SS	Strategic Sourcing, Part 1: Create, Post, and Approve Events webinar	Mar. 09, 2022	9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
SC	Import and Process a Contract Document Electronically webinar	Mar. 15, 2022	9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
SS	Strategic Sourcing, Part 2: Analyze and Award Events webinar	Mar. 16, 2022	9:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
EPM	Introduction to EPM Data Warehouse/SWIFT webinar	Mar. 23, 2022	9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
INTRO	Introduction to SWIFT Navigation webinar	Mar. 30, 2022	9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
iNTRO	Introduction to SWIFT Reporting	Apr. 06, 2022	9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

SWIFT Help Desk

Contact the SWIFT Help Desk for any SWIFT-related questions or issues.

Email: SWIFTHelpDesk.MMB@state.mn.us

Phone: 651-201-8100, option 2

Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (closed holidays)

When contacting the SWIFT Help Desk, make sure to include details about your question or issue, including:

• Your Business Unit
• Description of the issue/question
• SWIFT Module (Accounts Payable, Purchase Orders, etc.)
• Transaction ID (Voucher ID, PO ID, etc.)
• Error message print screen

Additional assistance can be found on the SWIFT Training Guides page.

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