Updated JET Training Courses are Available in Blackboard

The following JET courses have been updated for all changes that have occurred in the application since it launched in 2019:

1. Distributed Journal Entry Preparation
2. Distributed Journal Entry II: Processors

The courses are available in the Professional Development Pathways in Blackboard> Finance Pathway> General Elective Learning. It is highly recommended that everyone who prepares, or processes journal entries takes these courses as a refresher. The courses are available to take as often as you like and are great job aids should you need a refresher on a certain topic.

Since it’s been more than four years since JET was launched, we have provided the following reminders and tips as a refresher to our users.

Common Error Messages

• No Lines – This is one of the more common error messages received in JET. Many times this is a result of a non-numeric value in the debit or credit field of your entry. Often, the issue is caused by an apostrophe, comma, or period accidentally keyed into a debit or credit field.
• Caution – this means you’re using a grants Source value on a General Ledger (GL) line. Remember that the Grants system posts summary transactions to the General Ledger utilizing source values that are identified using the Grants Source Flag. This means transactions should be posted to a PTA in the Grants system, not directly in the GL. You should never process an entry with the status of CAUTION unless directed by finance staff.
• At least one of the lines is invalid – click on the Journal Name to see line detail for the JE. There will be a message next to any invalid lines explaining why the line is invalid. For example, using function 00 with an expense object code will result in an error message explaining function 00 is not valid with expense object codes.

Reminders

• The current JET template can be found at https://www.ohio.edu/finance/forms. Please be sure to use the most recent version when preparing your journal entries.
• You can find a list of Journal Categories & Descriptions, including examples of what’s required in the Journal Short Description, Journal Header Long Description and Line Description fields for each category in the Journal Categories & Descriptions section of the JET Webpage.
• Don’t put anything in the 90 day correction reason field unless you are correcting a transaction that is over 90 days old. Otherwise, you’ll trigger your entry to be audited unnecessarily. Using an old template will also populate the 90 day correction reason field, triggering an unnecessary audit, because the wrong field populates the 90 day correction reason field when using old templates. For rules around 90 day corrections please see this article.
• Accounts should be reviewed monthly, so corrections for transactions are infrequent. These transactions will be reviewed by Central Accounting and will be reversed if an invalid 90 Day Correction Reason is given. The correction reason must include:
  • What unusual circumstances exist that justify exception to the 90 day rule?
  • What action will be taken to eliminate future corrections.
  • For all correction entries, be sure to reference the original transaction in the line description field.
• Information on how to find transactions in OBI is in the Finding Transactions in OBI section of the JET Webpage.
• Please remember to process all Internal Billings no later than the end of the month after the good or service is provided. Internal Billings uploaded after the due date will be reversed. This includes entries that bill for a span of time, such as quarterly or annual billings. Billings must be processed monthly. Billings that span more than one month will be reversed. You can find more information on Internal Billings on the Internal Billings section of the JET Webpage.
• Additional Rules & Guidelines can also be found on the JET Webpage.
• Don’t forget the JET User Guide and JET QRGs are available on the Finance Training page. The General Accounting Jet Webpage is also a great resource!

For questions, please contact financecustomercare@ohio.edu.