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A Year in Review
It’s hard to believe it has been a year since we wrapped up migrations from the Classic software. And let me tell you, it was a nice change for SSDT to be able to focus solely on improving and enhancing our current software applications this past year! We accomplished so much in 2023 and as with every January newsletter, we would like to mention some of the requested features and improvements added during the year. Hopefully, some of the enhancements listed below were on your wish list. 
USAS
Ability to filter active (only) accounts on the various account grids.
FYE/Period H related changes such as no longer including the ODE Brief Description and the Payables value changing to $0. The Federal Assistance detail was updated to exclude Transfer and Advance amounts in the received and expenditures values for 500 level funds.
CYE 1099 updates made to the Tax ID (SSN/EIN) per the IRS. A new ‘Truncate EIN/TIN’ checkbox was made available for Copy 2, Copy B, and Printer/Sealer options for Recipient copies. When selected, the first five digits of the TIN (EIN or SSN) will be replaced with asterisks.
1099 Correction procedures were improved to accommodate correcting 1099s for vendors that received a 1099 in error.
Performance improvements made to the Budget Account Activity Report.
The ability to delete reports from the File Archive (user must have USAS_FILEARCHIVE_MANAGER role). An entire archive entry can be deleted, as well as the ability to select individual reports to delete.
Re-ordered the report format options to display more commonly used formats first.
Added fields to the canned version of the Financial Detail Report to replicate the available data generated by the template reports when selecting report format CSV or Excel-data.
Ability to assign a PO number when posting a pending transaction from the Transactions>Pending Transactions UI.
Ability to delete requisitions without having to reopen the posting period associated with the requisition date (rules apply; please refer to documentation for more details). Also implemented the ability to delete Requisitions with a Workflow Approval Status = approved without having to reopen the posting period associated with the requisition date.
Created a rule to prevent invoicing a future fiscal year purchase order in the current fiscal year.
Implemented the ability to import vendor adjustments via the Vendor grid Import option.
Improved the AR Billing view to allow the item description and customer data to fully display.
Canned Purchase Order Detail Report was improved to include the same fields available when generating the template version of the report in Excel-Data format.
Corrected several of the canned reports to correctly apply account filters when generated. Also improved the account filter drop downs to consistently sort the values.
The USPS Integration was updated to include the value of the account code in the error message when the account is not found. Previously the message contained the account code UUID.
USPS
A new user interface was added for W2 corrections under the Reports menu. It includes options to create, print and submit W2 corrections. Our February newsletter will feature (see ‘Next Up’ DYK for further details).
W2 improvements were made including prevention of negative value in Box 12, addition of employee name suffix on printed forms, ability to truncate the SSN on printed forms, and preventing overflow forms from printing unnecessary data in specific fields.
Created W2 Submission Summary reports for RITA and CCA.
Created the Leave Activity Report.
Created the Eligible to Retire Report.
Created the Payroll Leave Report (Classic CHKLEV replacement).
Created the Reporting Entity Count Summary Report (Classic RPTSUM replacement).
Payables Detail Report was enhanced to include a Total Gross column.
The ability to generate an Earnings Register in CSV format. Also improved the Earnings Register to break out the medicare pick up and regular medicare employee leave totals on the report.
Included the SSDT User Listing AOS Extract Report in the Monthly Report Bundle.
Wage Obligation and Employee Benefit Obligation CSVs were added to the fiscal year end report bundle.
General layout improvements were made to several reports after districts reported font sizes expanding randomly.
Added several new properties to the list of available properties for salary notices.
Added a new Code user interface under the Core menu for Building and Department codes.
Added a new Leave view under the Core menu called ‘Leaves - New'.
Added the Attendance Journal importable entity under Mass Load.
Added a new option to Payroll Item Configuration to include/exclude gross amounts on the Payables Detail Report.
Display dock amounts as negative on pay stub and display ‘DCK’ description by default if no description is entered.
The ability to add a 'memo' message on checks and direct deposits during Payroll Processing>Process Payments, Payments>Check Register and Payments>Payroll.
Improved the New Contract Import to exclude archived compensations when searching for active compensations.
Improved the New Contract maintenance grid to sort by Type and Contract Days.
Added the full account code to the USAS submission messages. USAS will also display the account code as part of any error message when the account is not found.
Add Case Number / Order Number for Child Support Items to Outstanding Payables Report.
With the requirement of 'other email address' for SERS employees, we improved the email notices to check for unique emails before sending notifications.
Payroll Item Max Amount warnings will only be produced and reported on the Error Report the first time a payroll item max has been reached.
Update Convert Personal Leave to Sick and Convert Personal Leave to Pay to exclude archived positions and compensations.
Allow standard read only user to access the Payment Transaction Status Report from the Reports menu.
INVENTORY
Error message is displayed when attempting to create an item without an amount.
Implemented adjustments for items that have a changed capitalization status during the year. The amounts are included on the adjustment column of the Schedule of Change in Fixed Assets and Schedule of Change in Depreciation reports.
Implemented date range filtering in the various transaction grids (Items, Acquisitions, Transfers and Dispositions). Users can filter between two dates using the '..' operator.
The Split Item feature in Items was improved. Users can modify field values when splitting items, including tag number, number of items, serial number, model number, location, and organization unit.
Added ability to recalculate the item's original cost to the Item grid, when viewing an item, and the Migration Importer. This feature is restricted to Admin permission only.
Implemented intrusion detection in Inventory, similar to the behavior in USAS and USPS.
DUO Security Integration was implemented.
The Book Value report was updated to include disposition start and stop date parameters.
Report formatting improvements such as the ability to select single or double spacing and the addition of Excel-data or CSV output files were added to non-GAAP reports.
Audit Report performance improvements were made positively impacting the report bundle generation. The report was also modified to include a column displaying the fiscal year. This column is a very helpful addition when closing/opening a fiscal year period.
Created a User Listing Report similar to what is available in USAS & USPS.
Useful links:
If you are working through your Worker’s Compensation for calendar year end, the USAS software’s Proration Utility can help! SSDT recently covered a session on the use of the Proration Utility, demonstrating an example on how the program can be used to assist in calculating worker’s compensation premium amounts using a an account filter for salary accounts. Check it out!
New W2 Submission Summary Reports for RITA and CCA
Within Reports>W2 Reports>W2 Reports and Submission and selecting the Submission option, two new options are listed - CCA W2 Submission File City Summary Report and RITA W2 Submission File City Report. The new reports include a count of employees, the city applicable gross, and tax withheld for each of the cities included in the submission file. For more information about these two new options, click here.
Tools to Master Mid-Year Contract Changes
Mid year contract changes can be challenging to say the least. SSDT has several resources available to help guide you through this process.
State Software Steering Committee
Many of the enhancements listed in our feature article were a direct result of feedback we received from users like you! The State Software Steering Committee (SSSC) is an important part of this process. If you aren’t familiar with the SSSC, the purpose of this committee is to solicit feedback from the field, representing district needs relative to the state software applications to ensure end-users have direct input into software development decisions. Committee members are comprised of one representative from each ITC (either an ITC or district fiscal professional), an ODE representative, two ITC Directors, SSDT senior staff, MCOECN’s CFO and both an OASBO and BASA representative. The committee meets four times a year and in between those meetings, a monthly meeting is held with SSDT senior staff to prioritize software development. Click the image below to view current committee members. The SSDT appreciates the support, feedback, and guidance this committee provides. Thank you!