Overview
UCSF's chart of accounts (COA) is the coding structure that defines operations in financial terms. The COA serves as the foundation of the general ledger.
Chartfields
UCSF's COA consists of eight individual "blocks", or segments, called chartfields that combine to form a 38-character chartstring. The chartfields and resulting chartstring facilitate accounting, reporting, and budgeting.
| Chartfield | Segment Length | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Business Unit | 5 characters | Which organization does the transaction belong to? |
| Account | 5 characters | What is the accounting nature or classification? |
| Fund | 4 characters | Where does the money come from? |
| Dept ID | 6 characters | What is the cost center or unit responsible for the transaction? |
| Project | 7 characters | Which activity is the transaction tracking? |
| Activity Period | 2 characters | What period was the money spent (for sponsored projects)? |
| Function | 2 characters | What is the function for the transaction? |
| Flexfield | 6 characters | What was the departmental purpose of the transaction (optional)? |
The Controller's Office Codes & Data Lookup tools can be used to find codes and values used across UCSF financial systems. Using the Codes & Data Lookup tool, you can quickly look up chart of accounts related information, contracts and grants related information, and HR/Payroll/Benefits related information without logging into a system.
How to Set Up New Chartfields
Refer to the Chartfield Set-Up Matrix for information on appropriate reasons and procedures for requesting a new chartfield. Business Unit, Account, Fund, Activity Period, Function, and Dept ID are coordinated centrally; contact your Control Point to make a request. Projects and Flexfields can be initiated by department administrators who have the Chartfield Requestor role in PeopleSoft, and are approved by Control Point administrators (job aid) who have the Chartfield Approver role in PeopleSoft.
SpeedTypes
To ensure transactions are correctly recorded in the General Ledger, financial administrators may establish SpeedTypes, which are 6-10 character shortcuts for commonly used chartfield combinations. SpeedTypes are used in transactional systems such as PeopleSoft, BearBuy, Connexxus, MyCores, and MyExpense. When a SpeedType is entered, it automatically expands into your predefined chartstring. Use of SpeedTypes is recommended for situations where department users may be unfamiliar with the full chartstrings.
Departments are responsible for creating and maintaining SpeedTypes.
SpeedTypes do not constitute purchasing authority.