Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

How do I get access to the CalPlanning tools?

To get access to CalPlanning, contact your local CalPlanning Access Provider and request access. Each unit has a CalPlanning Access Provider who can submit a CalPlanning User Access Request Form to change type of access or provide new access.

Check out the CalPlanning Getting Started page for more information.

When I log into the CalPlanning Workspace, I see a blank grey screen?

Anyone with a CalNet ID and Passphrase can log into the CalPlanning Workspace. But only those staff with CalPlanning Access will see the modules displayed.

Check out the CalPlanning Getting Started section of our website for information on the types of access available to our campus Finance professionals and how to apply for access.

General

General FAQs

When is CalPlanning available?

CalPlanning is available with technical support:

  • 8am-5pm, Monday - Friday, except University holidays

CalPlanning is open but without technical support  

  • 7am-8am, Monday - Friday and weekends
  • 5pm-3am, Monday - Friday

CalPlanning is not available: 3am-7am daily

Check out the CalPlanning home page for the latest updates on CalPlanning availability.

How do I have a DeptID inactivated in CalPlanning tools?

The process for removing the ability to plan to DeptIDs in CalPlanning is an annual process which occurs each January.

Currently the inactivation process is on hold as we work to finalize the timing and requirements. However, Planners should still submit the DeptIDs planned for inactivation so we can process when we reopened. 

Before submitting a DeptID for planned inactivation, please check the DeptID status in CalPlan list.  If the DeptID is marked for planned inactivation, indicated by N in the Load to CalPlan column, you do not need to complete the DeptID for planned inactivation request form. 

You can learn more by reviewing the DeptID Planned for Inactivation page on the DFL Conceirge website to learn about the steps, timing and forms needed to request inactivation.

When does Actuals Data from BFS load into the CalPlanning tools?

Month-end close Actuals data is loaded into the CalPlanning tools on a monthly basis.  

The CalRptg and HCPRptg reporting applications are loaded on the same day that the data is available in BAIRS and Cal Answers Financials. 

CalPlan and HCP are loaded several days later. 

You can check out the CalPlanning home page for dates of upcoming Actuals loads and the BFS General Ledger Monthly Close Schedule

CalPlan

Is there a quick way to edit data in the CalPlan forms?

This functionality works in both CalPlan and HCP!

In CalPlan, Enter Data in Form is there a way I can remove all of the rows with no data or zeros?

Yes!

When working in CalPlan on the Enter Data in Form tab you can hide rows with no data, with zeros or both.

From the row label, right-click and select Filter and choose one of the three options

  • Hide rows with no data
  • Hide rows with zeros
  • Hide rows with zeros and no data

To unhide the rows once hidden, from the row label, right-click and select Filter -> Show rows with zeros and no data

How do I plan to a BFS Account that is not included in CalPlan?

You can reference the BFS to CalPlan Account Map Table which lists all of the accounts available in BFS. The table identifies which accounts:

  • are available to budget to in CalPlan, Planning Level  = Individually (column E)
  • are NOT available in CalPlan, Planning Level = Summary (column  E)

For the accounts not available in CalPlan, the table indicates which Plan Only Account members in the CalPlan Account Value (column F) planners should use for planning the intersection. 

Check out the CalPlan Account Values job aid for a list of the BFS accounts available to plan to in CalPlanLists the BFS Accounts available in CalPlan.

When can I see plan updates in CalPlan in the CalPlan "R" reports?

Once a planner saves edits in CalPlan, they are available to review in the CalPlan "R" reports. To view the impact of changes made in CalPlan, Planners do not need to wait for the next data push

With each save, the edits are aggregated up to the highest entity level (set in Preferences) and available to view in the CalPlan reports.

If the CalPlan preferences are set to an L4, changes made at the L7 will be aggregated up to the department or L4 level. If the planners runs a CalPlan report at the L4 level that matches the entity set in the CalPlan Preferences, the report will reflect all of the edits.

How do I know which of the 5 Plan Only Fund Members an individual fund rolls up under in CalPlan and HCP?

You can reference the BFS to CalPlan Fund Map Table. The table maps each of the 25,000+ individual BFS Funds to the 5 Plan Only Fund members available in CalPlan and HCP. Use the Find functionality in MS Excel to locate the individual BFS fund in Column A and Column D includes the name of the Plan Only Fund.

As this table is updated with each monthly CalPlanning release it is recommended that you access it from the CalPlanning Job Aids page rather than downloading and saving a copy.

Check out the Plan Only Fund Members by Fund Type job aid for more information.

Why are there intersections showing up in CalPlan that are read-only?

There are two possible reasons:

1. If the intersection includes a DeptID that is planned for Inactivation, it will display as read-only to provide visibility but restrict additional planning. 

You can learn more about DeptID Inactivation on the DFL Concierge website.

2. If the intersection includes an Account that is managed by the Central Budget Office (such as 71110 - General Allocation, 71295 - Other Central Commitments,
5380X - Fee Remission - Plan) it will display as read-only. 

How do I remove plan values in my Operating Budget that were copied from Inactive &/or restricted DeptIDs with actual data in my Forecast?

Planners can submit a CalPlan HelpDesk Ticket to request temporary access to edit the inactive &/or restricted DeptID values in their Operating Budget.

Where do I find the 5 high-level fund buckets from CalPlan and HCP in the Cal Answers Financial Management Reports?

The 5 high-level fund buckets in CalPlan and HCP are found within the Fund Group column. 

If the Fund Group is not displayed in the default of the Cal Answers Financial Management dashboard report, you can right-click on the column labels in the location where you would like to add the Fund Group column. Select Include column and search for Fund Group from the list of includable columns. If it does not display in the list it may already be included in the report or not available.

Fund Groups 

  • Unrestricted Funds
  • Restricted Gift Funds
  • Restricted Endowments and FFEs Funds
  • Designated
  • Contracts and Grants

CalRptg

CalPlan Reporting

What is the difference between an R103 report and a CR103 report?

The R103 SRECNA Med report is run from the CalPlan reporting repository. The plan data reflects the data as of the latest save action taken by the planner in CalPlan. When a planner saves in CalPlan, the edits are aggregated to the entity level set in the CalPlan Preferences.

In CalPlan reports, actual data is as of the Last Loaded Month End Close in CalPlanning, does not include individual Fund details and uses the limited CalPlanning Chart of Accounts (COA).

The CR103 SRECNA Med report is run from the CalRptg reporting repository. The plan data reflects saved data prior to the last push from HCP and CalPlan into CalRptg which occurs every 3 hours starting at 9 am -9 pm, Monday -Friday.

In CalRptg, actual data is as of the last close of business and includes all individual funds and the full COA.

Human Capital Planning (HCP)

Is there a quick way to edit data in the HCP forms?

This functionality works in both CalPlan and HCP!

How do I show that an employee will retire at the end of June, and will not continue into next year?

To remove an employee from your plan
  • Open the Manage Existing Employees and Job Codes task list
  • From the Monthly Pay Rate tab zero out the pay rate in the months you no longer want to include them in your plan. Check out the FAQ on editing data in the forms.

OR

  • From the Distributions tab zero out the Distribution value for the months you no longer want them to be included in your plan.
You only need to zero out one metric. as HCP needs both the Monthly Pay Rate AND the Distribution Value to calculate a planned Salary Expense.
Note that the employee will continue to display in HCP as long as they have an actual salary expense &/or plan values for the timeframes included.

We are going to be hiring a additional employee later this year. Is there a way I can add the compensation expenses for this employee to my budget without knowing who the person is yet?

Yes, HCP allows you to plan for a To Be Hired  (TBH) employee. From the Monthly Pay Rate tab of the Manage Existing Employees and Job Codes task list,, you can right click and select Manage Employee -> Add TBH.  Select the DeptID (defaults to value in the right-clicked row), TBH #, Job Code, Monthly Pay Rate, Start Year, Month and End Year /Month and any  Comments.

Once the TBH is added you will need to add a TBH Distribution by right-clicking over the newlTBH on the Monthly Pay Rate tab and selecting Manage TBH -> Add TBH Distribution. 

 Once the actual employee is hired and actual salary expenses are loaded to CalPlanning for that employee from PPS during the month end close, you can then assign that employee to the To Be Hired employee compensation plan. 

I have an employee in HCP who is no longer working for my unit. How do I remove them from my compensation plan?

updated: 3.06.18

Planners can remove an employee from their HCP compensation budgets by either zeroing out the employee's Monthly Pay Rate or the Earnings Distribution value on the Distributions tab of the Manage Existing Employees and Job Codes form. You will need to know the start month and year that they are no longer planned to be funded from the current entity.

If there are actuals for this employee they will continue to display in HCP and on the HCPRptg reports run for Actual Final and Forecast Working (which now contains actuals for BFS closed months).

If I have an employee who is leaving that I will rehire for, do I need to remove them from HCP?

If you have an employee who is leaving your unit and you plan to rehire for the job you have two options for planning for the new hire compensations:

1. Reuse the existing plan data. Zero out the Monthly Reg Pay values in the months between when your existing employee will no longer be working for you and you plan to rehire for the position on the Manage Existing Employee and Job Codes, Monthly Reg Pay form. Put a note in the Comments field to indicate that the future plans are for the new hire.

2. Remove existing plan data and create a To Be Hired employee. Zero out the Monthly Reg Pay for all future months when your existing employee will no longer be working for you on the Manage Existing Employee and Job Codes, Monthly Reg Pay form. HCP will not be able to calculate a planned salary expense for those months and no planned benefits. Add a To Be Hired employee on the Manage Existing Employee and Job Codes Monthly Reg Pay tab and then add an earnings distribution for the To Be Hired from the Monthly Reg Pay form.

!Earnings distributions cannot be added to employees or To Be Hired employees from the Manage Existing Employee and Job Codes, Distributions form if no distribution exists for that member!

How do I plan for a Vacant Position?

We no longer load Vacant Positions from HCM to HCP.

In HCP you create a To Be Hired (TBH) Employee to serve as a placeholder for the compensation expense associated with your planned employee.

From the Manage Existing Employees and Job Codes task list ->Monthly Pay Rate tab right-click and select Manage TBD -> Add TBH.  Select the DeptID (defaults to the DeptID in the right-clicked row), TBH #, Job Code, Monthly Pay Rate, Start Year, Month and End Year /Month and any  Comments.

Once the TBH is added you will need to add a TBH Distribution by right-clicking over the new TBH on the Monthly Pay Rate tab and selecting Manage TBH -> Add TBH Distribution. 

Once the actual employee is hired and actual salary expenses are loaded to CalPlanning for that employee from PPS during the month end close, you can then assign that employee to the To Be Hired employee compensation plan. 

Can I change an existing employee's Job Code in HCP?

Yes. From the Manage Existing Employee and Job Code task list, Monthly Pay Rate tab, right-click on the row of the employee whose job code you would like to change. Select Manage employee->Update Employee.
In the Prompt Form, change the job code and add the start year and start month of the new job code. You can also input any changes in Monthly Pay Rate if applicable for the start year and start month.
Make sure that all other *required fields are filled in with all the existing values for that employee as the only thing you are changing is the Job code.  Click the Launch button.
HCP will now display two rows for that employee on the Monthly Pay Rate form, one for their current and one for the newly planned job code. You will need to review the Monthly Pay Rate for the employee and zero out any previous rates that exist once the new rate starts.
updated 3.5.18

Can I see the employee and position data that was in HCP prior to the simplification and move to Job Codes?

CalPlanning Planners with HCP access can view the HCP plan data within their entity security prior to the simplification process by launching the Jan18HCP from the CalPlanning Workspace-> Home page-> Applications section. This read-only view is in the old HCP layout so new planners may not be familiar with the navigation. 

HCP: DeptID Adjustments

Can I delete a DeptID Adjustment that I no longer need?

Yes, DeptID Compensation Adjustments can be deleted in HCP by either zeroing out the values in the months or right-clicking over the DeptID Compensation row and selecting Manage DeptID Adjustments -> Delete DeptID Adjustments.  Click Launch from the Delete DeptID Adjustment prompt and OK from the confirmation pop up box. Since DeptID Compensation Adjustments don't actualize the row will be removed from the form.

Can I change the DeptID, Salary Account, Fund &/or CF1 on a DeptID Adjustment I created in HCP?

When adding a DeptID Adjustment in HCP, planners can select any account from the available list. Once the DeptID Adjustment is created the Distribution elements- DeptID/Entity, Salary Account, Fund or CF1 CANNOT be edited.

If a change is needed, planners should right-click and Add a DeptID Adjustment that has the correct Distribution elements and then zero out the old incorrect DeptID Adjustment as needed.

updated 3.7.18

HCP: Pooled Positions

When creating a pooled position for NON-work study student workers which salary account should I select?

.

When creating a pooled position for NON-work study student workers, select the salary account, A51231- Staff-Exempt from CBR. This salary account is mapped to the benefit account, A530XX_Stat that will not plan any benefits but will apply the current GAEL rate.

You can review the FY18 and FY19 HCP Pooled Position Salary Account, CBR and Fee Remission Rates job aid to learn more.

Can I delete a Pooled Position that was created but no longer needed?

Yes, CalPlanning users with the Planner role can delete a Pooled Position in HCP that is no longer needed for any period in which you are currently creating budgets.

From the Create and Manage Pooled Positions form, right-click on the cell containing the Pooled Position you would like to delete, select Manage Pooled Positon -->Delete Pooled Position Monthly Pay Rate.

HCPRptg

Human Capital Planning Reporting

What is the difference between the two version of the HCP001 reports and when would I use each?

There are two versions of the HCP001. Which version you use will depend on which Fiscal Year, Scenario, Version intersection you are running in your report.

1. Employee Salary by Fund and Job Code will display the list of employees with their corresponding job codes for the entity prompted when selecting:

  • FY19 Operating Budget, all available versions
  • FY18 Forecast, Working and once available both the Q3 Planner Submission and Final 
  • Actual Final all Fiscal Years
    If run for any other Fiscal Year, Scenario, Version intersections the report will return the correct data but the 2nd column in the report will display Unspecified Position or be blank

2. Prior Feb 2017 sHCP- Employee Salary by Fund and Position will display the list of employees with their corresponding position numbers for the entity prompted when selecting

  • Operating Budget for FY18 and earlier, all versions
  • FY18 Forecast, Initial, Q2 Planner Submission
  • Forecast for FY17 and earlier, all versions 

If run for any other Fiscal Year, Scenario, Version intersections the report will return the correct data but the 2nd column in the report will display No Job Code or be blank (Actual Final FY17 and earlier)

How do I change the Account Dimension in the the HCP001 POV from Total Compensation to another salary account?

From the.HCPRptg reporting repository launch the HCP001 Employee Salary by Fund and Job Code report.

Select the needed members from the POV selection dialog box and select OK. From the Respond to Prompts dialog box click on the Member Selection icon to the right of the Selection field.

Click the check box to the left of Total Compensation in the right-hand Selected side. Click on the left facing arrow to move Total Compensation to the Available side.

Click on the check box for the desired salary account from the left-hand available side then click on the right facing arrow to move the account to the Selected side. Click OK.

What is the Actual Journals value displaying on my HCP001 report run for Total Compensation account for my Forecast or Actual scenarios?

Employee Benefits do not actualize at the employee level in BFS. They are consolidated by chartstring. 

When the HCP001 report is run for the Forecast Working for Total Compensation it includes actualized closed months and planned future months. The Actual Journals amounts represent the actualized consolidated employee benefits (Fringe accounts, GAEL, and other accounts that are transacted in BFS at the DeptID level) for the closed months. The Actual Journals may also display when running the HCP001 report for the Actual Final scenario version.

I made changes to my compensation plans in HCP but they aren't showing up in the HCPRptg reports?

Changes made to planned employee and position compensation expenses, pooled positions and DeptID adjustments must be saved in HCP prior to the next data push in order to view the impact of the changes in HCPRptg, HCP, CalRptg and CalPlan. The data push happens 5 times/day Monday - Friday. The first push occurs at 9:00 AM and then every three hours until 9:00 PM.

Do not run CalRptg or HCPRptg reports or refresh Smart View Ad Hoc queries during the first 15 minutes of the push hours.

Check out the CalPlanning System Availability page of our website for more information.

Smart View

How do I get access to Smart View?

Access to Smart View is included with all CalPlanning access requests. 

Campus finance members who require access to the CalPlanning tools, need to have their local access provider submit a CalPlanning User Access Request Form. The CalPlanning data repositories a user can access with Smart View are based on their CalPlanning role of either:

  • Planner (CalPlan, HCP, CalRpgt & HCPRptg)
  • Reporting (CalRptg and HCPRptg)
  • CalRptg (CalRptg).

Once their CalPlanning access is set up, a user can access Smart View via Citrix.berkeley.edu or they can contact the CSS IT Help Desk at calplanhelp@berkeley.edu or (510) 664-9000 option 1 (for IT), then 2 (for CalPlanning) to submit a ticket requesting an install of the Smart View plugin on their workstation. 

The Smart View tab is no longer showing up on my MS Excel ribbon. Where did it go and how do I get it back?

If you have Smart View installed locally on your workstation, there are several ways it can become disable and no longer display the Smart View tab in the MS Excel ribbon.

Check out the Enabling Smart View in MS Excel job aid for step-by-step instructions on how you can quickly get your Smart View tab back.