VISION FAQ

Select below to view module specific questions.

General Questions
Accounts Payable
A ccounts Receivable
Asset Management
Billing
General Ledger
Purchasing
Error Messages

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General Questions

1. What should I do if I am having difficulty logging into VISION?

Verify that you are on the VISION Login page.
Check your User ID. VISION logins are the first letter of your first name followed by up to the first 7 characters of your last name all in UPPERCASE. Some users might also have a number at the end. You may also use your Employee ID Number as your VISION User ID.
Clear cache: Press CTRL, SHIFT, and DELETE (all at the same time) on the login page and delete browsing history. Then close all browser windows and try again.
If you are still not able to login, then contact VISION Support for assistance.

2. Why won’t the password I received using the forgotten password help work?

Your system has probably been locked due to three unsuccessful login attempts. To have your account unlocked, contact VISION Support for assistance.

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Accounts Payable

1. How do I know if I have any vouchers that need my attention?

Run the VT_MER_VCHRS_NOT_POSTED query for your business unit. This query will list all vouchers that have not posted in the Accounts Payable Module. For additional information and guidance, refer to the Month End Closing Instructions for the Actuals Ledger located on the VISION Procedures page.

2. When will my voucher get paid?

Vouchers must be matched (for PO vouchers), budget checked and approved by the start time for each of the daily Pay Cycles below for them to get picked up for payment. Vouchers paid by check will be picked up for payment 4 business days prior to their due date to allow for mailing times.

7:30am – Checks and wires to State Departments
10:00am – Wire Transfers to banks
11:00am – ACH payments
11:30am – Satellite payments

3. How do I enter a voucher for an invoice/service that I received in the current fiscal year that is for an item that I received in the prior fiscal year?

Each invoice line in a voucher requires you to indicate if it for the current year or prior year; this allows you to have both prior year and current year items on a single voucher. You will not be able to save, match, budget check, or submit a voucher for approval without the C/P indicator selected on all invoice lines.

4. How do I correct a voucher that was enterred with an incorrect C/P indicator?

An Accounts Payable Journal Voucher is used to correct a C/P indicator that has been enterred incorrectly.

5. Can I change the terms on a voucher to ensure that the vendor gets paid on time?

You do not need to change the default payment terms to ensure that the vendor will get paid on time. VISION automatically uses the invoice date and payment terms to determine when the voucher will get picked up in a Pay Cycle to be paid. For more information, see the Payment Terms Policy and the Changing Payment Terms Operational Guidance #1.

6. How come my voucher has not been paid yet?

There are several reasons that may cause a voucher to not get picked up in a Pay Cycle. Use the Voucher Has Not Paid document to help determine why a VISION voucher has not paid. If you need further assistance, contact VISION Support.

NOTE: If you still have questions that have not been answered in this section, please refer to the Accounts Payable Manual located on the VISION Manuals page.

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Accounts Receivable

1. Why is my direct journal deposit not showing up so that I can create accounting entries for it?

The system did not create any payment lines because the Journal Directly box was not selected on the Payments page of the regular deposit. Navigate back to the regular deposit and select the Journal Directly box on the payment tab and save. Now your direct journal deposit will be available for you to create the accounting entries. If this box is already selected and you are still not able to create accounting entries, then contact VISION Support for further assistance.

2. How can I delete/correct a direct journal deposit that has already posted to the General Ledger?

A direct journal deposit can be unposted by Financial Operations if the deposit was entered incorrectly or in error or an ONL journal entry can be entered in the General Ledger module to correct any accounting errors.

Note: The system requires a deposit id to be unique, so the same deposit id cannot be re-used to enter a new direct journal deposit.

3. How can I delete a pending item that has already posted?

If the accounting period is still open and the pending item was manually entered into the Accounts Receivable Module, then the pending item can be unposted by Financial Operations. This will correctly reverse the revenue and AR balances, no further action is needed.
If the pending item is still open on the customer’s account and the item was generated from the Billing Module, then you must process a credit bill in the Billing Module. This will correctly reverse the revenue and AR balances. The original pending item and new credit pending item will need to be matched in a Maintenance Worksheet in order to be cleared from the customer's account.
If the pending item is no longer open on the customer’s account, then you will need to enter an ONL journal in the General Ledger module to correct any incorrect balances or accounting errors.

4. How should I handle an outstanding deposit entered in my business unit by someone that is not in my department?

The State Treasurer’s Office receives federal draw funds into the State’s bank account. In turn, they process a customer deposit on behalf of the department who the funds are intended for. You should verify that the deposit is valid for your BU, that the correct customer number was used, and follow the instructions in the Federal Draw Process Manual located on the VISION Manuals page to complete the federal draw process.

NOTE: If you still have questions that have not been answered in this section, please refer to the Accounts Receivable Manual located on the VISION Manuals page.

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Asset Management

1. Where can I go to find the most current Asset Management training and support materials, policies, bulletins, best practices, procedures, closing instructions, and forms?

Please visit the Asset Management page of the Finance & Management website to view all current documentation.

2. What determines if an asset is capital, physical, expensed, or Construction-in-Process (CIP)?

The system uses the capitalization thresholds from the #10:Capital Assets – Tangible and Intangible policy to automatically determine if an asset should be capital, non-financial (physical), expensed, or CIP assets based on the profile selected and the total cost of the asset when entered.

Capital assets have a total cost that exceeds the capitalization threshold. Capital assets will be recorded and will have financial entries and depreciation associated with them.
Non-Financial (Physical) assets have a total cost that under the capitalization threshold, but above a physical threshold. Non-Financial assets will be recorded but will not have financial entries or depreciation associated with them.
Expensed assets have a total cost under the capitalization and physical thresholds. Expensed assets will not be recorded in VISION.
CIP Assets do not have a capitalization threshold associated with them. The system creates an asset that books the amount to the Construction-In-Process account for tracking purposes. Accounting entries are created but depreciation is not calculated because the asset is still being constructed. Once the construction is complete, the CIP Asset must be retired, and a Capital Asset must be entered.

3. What do I do if an asset location does not exist in VISION?

All location codes are created and maintained in Financial Operations. If you have an asset that is located at a site that there is no asset location for, send an email to jamie.sheltra@vermont.gov and include the complete address and whether a purchasing or requisition location also needs to be setup.

4. What costs should I include in the acquisition cost of an asset?

Acquisition cost includes all expenditures that are necessary to place the asset into its intended location and condition for use. For more specific requirements, please refer to VISION Procedure #1: Asset Management.

5. My asset was entered with the wrong Profile ID. How do I fix it?

Profile ID’s cannot be changed on an existing asset so the asset must be properly retired.

You can properly retire a Capital or CIP asset by using the Retire an In Service Capital or CIP Asset exercise located in the Asset Management Manual.

You can properly retire a Non-Financial asset by using the Retire an In Service Non-Financial Asset exercise located in the Asset Management Manual.

6. My asset was entered with the wrong chartfield information. How do I fix it?

You can fix any chartfield associated with a Capital asset by using the Transfer a Capital or CIP Asset to Update a Chartfield exercise located in the Asset Management Manual.

You can fix any chartfield associated with a Non-Financial asset by using the Update a Chartfield of a Non-Financial Asset exercise located in the Asset Management Manual.

7. My asset was entered with an incorrect cost or an incorrect quantity. How do I fix it?

You can correct the cost associated with a Capital or CIP asset by using the Adjust the Cost of a Capital or CIP Asset exercise located in the Asset Management Manual.

You can correct the quantity associated with a Capital asset by using the Adjust the Quantity of a Capital Asset exercise located in the Asset Management Manual.

You can correct the cost associated with a Non-Financial asset by using the Adjust the Cost of a Non-Financial Asset exercise located in the Asset Management Manual.

You can correct the quantity associated with a Non-Financial asset by using the Adjust the Quantity of a Non-Financial Asset exercise located in the Asset Management Manual.

8. How do I fix general asset information such as an incorrect location, missing description, etc.?

You can fix general asset information by using the Update Asset Information exercise located in the Asset Management Manual.

9. How do I enter Construction-in-Process (CIP)?

Construction-in-Process represents any ongoing construction costs that will eventually result in a capital asset once completed. CIP can be recorded by creating a CIP Asset in the Asset Management Module using a unique Profile ID. This can be done by using the Add an Asset Using Basic Add (Including CIP) or Add an Asset Using Express Add (Including CIP) exercise located in the Asset Management Manual.

10. How do I convert Construction-in-Process (CIP) into a capital asset when a project is complete?

When a project is completed that has resulted in a Capital Asset, the CIP Asset must be retired, and a Capital Asset must be entered. The Transaction Date for the retirement of the CIP Asset and the Transaction Date of the addition of the Capital Asset must be the same date and must represent the date that the asset was placed into service. In the case of internally generated software, this would be the Go-Live date. For more specific information about recording CIP as well as year-end reporting requirements, please refer to the CAFR-4 Instructions.

NOTE: If you still have questions that have not been answered in this section, please refer to the Asset Management Manual located on the VISION Manuals page.

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Billing

1. Why is an invoice not picking up in the Generate Invoice Processes?

Manually entered invoices are created with a NEW status. In order for an invoice to process through the generate invoice processes, it needs to be in a RDY status. Refer to the Billing Manual for more information.

2. Why is the pending item that was created from my billing not associated with the customer's account?

When running the Single Action Invoice Process, you must select a Posting Action = Batch Standard. This results in the associated pending item automatically posting to the customer’s account when ARUPDATE is run overnight.

If you find that a Posting Action = Batch Standard was not selected when running the Single Action Invoice Process job, you can always manually set the Posting Action = Batch Standard on the group in the Accounts Receivable Module.

NOTE: If you still have questions that have not been answered in this section, please refer to the Billing Manual located on the VISION Manuals page.

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General Ledger

1. What information do I need to include in the long description of my journal entry?

Regardless of what the source of your journal is, you should always include a description that truly describes why you are entering the journal and that references the original transaction. For more information about specific types of journals including how to enter them properly, please refer to the General Ledger Manual.

2. What should I do when a department tells me that they cannot see a transfer journal that I initiated to them on the VT_BU_TRANSFER query?

There are a few criteria that must be met in order for a journal entry to show on this query. You should check your journal entry to make sure it was completed with the following:

There is an offsetting line with account 100105 on your journal.
The business unit you are doing the transfer with is entered as the affiliate for all lines of your journal.
You used "TSF" as the source on the header page of your journal.
You budget checked your journal.
The journal has been approved at the department level.

3. How do I setup my organizational budget at the beginning of a new fiscal year?

There are several tools available to help you with setting up your budgets. Please refer to the Commitment Control Manual. This manual includes instructions on adding an organization budget journal and how to identify the correct ledger group to use (Org, Org2_GRP, Org3_GRP). Additionally, the following queries are good resources to use for setting up and managing your budgets:

VT_APPROP_JRNLS – Appropriation Journals for a General Ledger BU
VT_ORG_BUDGET_JRNLS – ORG Journals for a General Ledger BU
VT_APPROP_DEPTID_SUM_NW– Appropriation Summary DeptID
VT_APPROP_FUND_SUM_NW - Appropriation Summary Fund
VT_ORG_DEPTID_SUM_NW – ORG Summary DeptID
VT_ORG_FUND_SUM_NW – ORG Summary Fund

NOTE: If you still have questions that have not been answered in this section, please refer to the General Ledger Manual.

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Purchasing

1. How do I delete a contract that was entered with incorrect information or that was entered but is not needed?

You cannot delete the contract, instead you can close the contract and create a new one if necessary. For more information, including how to close a contract please refer to the Contracts Manual located on the VISION Manuals page.

2. Why am I receiving an “Invalid Value” error message when I try to enter a PO against a valid contract?

Typically, this happens because of a couple of different reasons. On the Contract Header page, check the begin and expire dates to confirm the contract is available for use and that the PO date is within this date range. If the dates are valid, verify the contract is in Approved status. If the dates are fine and the contract is approved, contact VISION Support for assistance.

3. Why aren't the PO Defaults that I put in my contract coming into my purchase order?

PO Defaults set up on a contract will only come into the purchase order if the PO is copied from the contract. If you enter the contract number on the contract tab of your PO the default information will not come forward.

4. Why am I getting a gray box that says “Unauthorized” at the bottom of the page when I print my purchase order?

Printing an Authorized Signature PO is done through Dispatch POs and not Review PO Information. See the Printing a Purchase order exercise in the Purchase Orders 101 Manual for specific instructions on how to do this properly. Also, be sure that the PO is approved.

5. What do I do if the remaining amount of my contract is incorrect due to PO that I entered incorrectly?

If the PO has not been completed, then you will need to process a change order to the PO to properly update the remaining amount of the contract. For information on processing change orders, please refer to the Purchasing 102 Manual.
If the PO has been completed, then you will need to contact a member of Financial Operations from the Contact Us page to have a manual contract adjustment processed.

NOTE: If you still have questions that have not been answered in this section, please refer to one of the Purchasing Manuals located on the VISION Manuals page.

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VISION Error Messages

1. Why do I get a "Warning Page Expired" message sometimes?

This will occur if you use the web "Back" button. Users should NOT use the Back button on their web browser while working in VISION.

2. What should I do if I get an “Invalid URL” message but I can still connect to other internet sites?

The first step should be to clear your computer’s cache where all temporary internet files are stored. This is also known as clearing or deleting the browsing history in the web browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, IE, etc..) that you are using. If you are not familiar with how to do this, contact VISION Support for assistance.

3. Why am I getting a “spending authority over budget” budget check error when trying to enter a deposit for a refund of items that we sent back to the vendor in the prior fiscal year?

You are getting that budget check error because expenditures for the current year are not sufficient to offset the refund of expenditure. VISION allows refunds of expenditures to be processed only when there are sufficient current year expenditures to offset the refund. Resolving this error is a two-step process.

Change the expense account on the deposit to revenue account 485000 – Prior Year Refund of Expenditures. This will allow the deposit to budget check.
When there are sufficient expenditures to offset the refund, you must do an ONL journal entry to move the funds from the revenue account (debit) to the appropriate expenditure account (credit). When the ONL journal entry successfully budget checks and posts, expenditures are reduced and available spending authority is increased by the amount of the refund. For specific information, refer to Prior Year Refund of Expenditure Procedure located on the VISION Procedures page.

4. What should I do if my process ran to a Run Status of No Success or Error?

Process Instances that run to “No Success” or “Error” should NOT be deleted! If your process ran to either of these statuses, then please contact VISION Support. Even if you know what went wrong and how to fix it, it is VERY important that you let us know. Depending on the process you are running, when you receive a “No Success” result, it is likely that data is stuck. If the Process Instance is deleted, then this data can become corrupt.

5. Why is my process still queued after several minutes?

Typically, this happens when the process scheduler is busy because only a limited number of processes can run at one time. If this is the case, as jobs complete, your job will eventually run. If the process remains queued for a long period of time, then contact VISION Support for assistance.

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Select below to view module specific questions.

General Questions Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Asset Management Billing General Ledger Purchasing Error Messages

General Questions

Accounts Payable

Accounts Receivable

Asset Management

Billing

General Ledger

Purchasing

VISION Error Messages

General Questions

Accounts Payable

Accounts Receivable

Asset Management

Billing

General Ledger

Purchasing

VISION Error Messages

General Questions
Accounts Payable
A ccounts Receivable
Asset Management
Billing
General Ledger
Purchasing
Error Messages