At the center of CGI Advantage processing capabilities is a robust, flexible chart of accounts structure. This structure provides the ability to maintain autonomy across organizations while providing uniformity in the overall structure. Further, the structure is seamlessly integrated with all areas of CGI Advantage. This single set of codes integrates the functions of CGI Advantage Financial and ensures that all of the data is compatible for meaningful comparisons and computations.
CGI Advantage chart of accounts functionality provides an account structure to classify financial information according to the measures needed to support the various uses of a government’s financial information. In this way, you can measure where, for what, and by what entity monies are collected and spent. You can also categorize each transaction using independent characteristics to record and report on financial activity. Some measures deal with fund accounting, some with organizational concerns, and others with cost accounting or other accounting classifications. Another aspect of the chart of accounts is the consolidation of information into rollups that you can use for reporting and budgeting.
The chart of accounts can accommodate many distinct elements, sub elements, and multiple associations for establishing hierarchies and rollups. CGI Advantage is delivered with 36 primary and sub elements (such as Fund, Activity, and Department) and with more than 60 rollups for reporting. With few exceptions, element characteristics are determined to suit your specific needs. Characteristics that can be adjusted include the size of the individual codes defined and the label by which a chart of account element is displayed. With this powerful flexibility and number of different measures, you can merge your planning and budgeting account structure with the accounting structure to produce a single united configuration.
CGI Advantage addresses all of your reporting needs - planning, budget control, financial management, and external reporting. You can produce sets of financial reports in which the same dollar amounts can be classified in different ways. For example, program managers receive reports that cut across organizational lines, line managers receive reports for their organizations, and legislators receive appropriations reports. CGI Advantage produces these reports from one unified database.
Implementing the Chart of Accounts area is a task that requires significant forethought and planning. The Chart of Accounts is the heart of financial and budgeting control, reporting and analysis. Determining how elements and rollups will be used within an application requires collaboration, cooperation, and compromise from all parties who own or use the chart of accounts elements.
The recommended approach for implementing a chart of accounts conversion plan is first to understand the business purpose of all elements currently used and the relationships among elements from different systems. With this analysis the conversion process will:
Eliminate redundant information
Remove obsolete information
Define the characteristics of the remaining measures
Map those measures to the proper chart of account
Determine immediate and future code length requirements
Identify areas that may be enhanced with the introduction of new codes or rollups
Refer to "CGI Advantage Delivered Chart of Accounts" topic for more information about the delivered model.