Overview: Oracle Financials Reporting
The primary tools for accessing financial data from the Oracle Financials system are ReportMart3 and various web-based inquiry tools.
On this page:
- Tool Descriptions and Uses
- Access and Authority
- Frequency of Data Updates
- Training Resources
- Staying Informed
Tool Descriptions and Uses
ReportMart3
Reporting against the financial data in the Oracle Financials system is done primarily via ReportMart3 (RM3), utilizing Stanford's web reporting tool by Business Objects. Each of the ReportMart3 financial reports is preceded by FIN (indicating financial) and a category indicating the type of data or information that will be contained in the report. Some of the more common categories and their meanings are listed below:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| BGT | iBudget Reports |
| CAP | Reports related to Capital Projects |
| ENDOW | Contains data related to the endowment (non-spendable) portion of a fund(s) |
| EXP | Used to indicate expenditure reports. These reports contain detailed or summary information about expenditures. |
| FUND | Contains information about the fund, such as receipts, transfers, expenses and investments. Available at both a high level and detailed information. |
| IOU | Provides information related to reimbursements of expenses and other checks |
| JNL | Provides detail or summarized information about iJournals. Salary view authority is required to use journal reports |
| LABOR | Salary allocation related information, including plans (%) and actual amounts |
| OP | Operating Reports, includes revenues, fund transfers and expenditure information, focused primarily on the needs of Service Centers and Auxiliaries, but can be used by all |
| PCARD | Reports that contain Purchasing Card information |
| PO | Information related to purchases of goods and services (Requistions, Purchase Orders of Invoice information) |
| REF | Indicates the report is a reference report and contains no financial data, only information about the account and how it is set up |
| REV | Contains revenue information |
For a list of commonly used reports organized by activity (i.e. Buying & Paying, Reimbursements, Funds Management, Month-End / Year-End Close, etc.) see Resources: Oracle Financials Report Types & Uses.
SU Inquiry Tools
Several web based inquiry tools are available to access Oracle Financials information.
Expenditure Type Query
Use the Expenditure Type Query to find the right expenditure type for budgeting; initiating purchases, reimbursements and transfers; or to research descriptions to confirm appropriateness of charges. Search by Expenditure Type Number, Name, or specific words or phrases from the Expenditure Type Description. For each Expenditure Type, the query will return the expenditure type Name and Description, the related Object Code, the Natural Account (i.e. Asset, Liability, Revenue, or Expense), as well as the Usage Rules for iJournals (public, specialist, central) and Internet Procurement.
Fund Title Query
Use the Fund Title Query to quickly find information about a Fund(s) and its PTAs to determine if it is appropriate to use the fund for a specific transaction.
- Find fund(s) based on a search of the fund title (Award name) or number. The search is not case sensitive, and does not need to contain the whole title, just a word or partial word.
- Look up information about a fund, including the fund purpose and the Project-Tasks linked to the fund (Award) and a variety of attributes.
- See How To: Identify PTA Using the Fund Title Query.
Requisition and Purchase Order Query
Use the Requisition and Purchase Order Query (a.k.a. Web Inquiry) tool to search for requisitions, purchase orders, and invoices by a variety of search parameters.
Signature Authority Query
Use the Signature Authority Query to find authorized approvers for a Project-Task or an Award. This is particularly useful to those verifying authority off-line.
- Translate the approval authority entered in Authority Manager to how it is used in Oracle Financials.
- View scope, limit and contact information for approvers.
- See How To: View Approval Authority Assignments for a Project and Task, or Award Using the Signature Authority Query.
Vacation Query
Use the Vacation Query tool to find out who can approve transactions on someone else's behalf. The tool provides an audit history of delegations, including the transactions handled on someone's behalf. See How To: Use the Oracle Vacation Query.
Accessing the Inquiry Tools
To access the inquiry tools, launch Oracle Applications and look for the "SU Inquiry Tools" folder and link in the Navigator section of the Home page. Direct links to the inquiry tools are also available throughout this web site under Resources & Job Aids. The query tools can be used concurrently while using other Oracle Financial applications.
Access and Authority
Access to ReportMart3 is granted via Authority Manager. Once access is granted, you will need appropriate reporting authority to get results for many ReportMart3 reports. See How To: Grant Authority for Oracle Financials Reporting.
To determine what reporting authority you have, check Authority Manager. For help, see How To: View Authority Assignments.
Authority is not required for the Oracle Financials Inquiry tools, as they do not return confidential financial information.
Frequency of Data Updates
Updates to the data in ReportMart3 reports occur at different times, depending on the type of report. The table below includes reports frequently used by school / department ReportMart3 users.
| Timing of Updates | Report Types |
|---|---|
| Current: Reports have a "REALTIME" icon. Reports reflect up-to-the-minute data. |
|
| Day-Delay: Reports have a "DAILY" icon. Data is updated nightly. Reports reflect data from the prior day. |
|
For a detailed list of reports and their update status, see Resources: Status of ReportMart3 Reports.
Training Resources
FIN-0320: ReportMart3 for Oracle Financials is available to help ReportMart3 users learn how to run reports and navigate the web-based application.
Excel and Access are two additional tools that are often used in conjunction with ReportMart3 reports for financial analysis and reporting. Information Technology Services provides training classes for Excel and Access. For course information and schedules, visit the Information Technology Services Training web site.
Staying Informed
- To receive email communications regarding changes and updates to ReportMart, subscribe to ReportSU-Finance@lists.
- Check Archived Bulletins to view communications distributed on or after August 1, 2007. Bulletins are organized by activity and date.