This process updates the database

Subsystem

Student Finance

Purpose

To produce extract records containing the necessary information for printing of Statements of Account. These records are stored in a table in the Callista database.  Note: Reminder Notices are extracted using the front-end job Reminder Notice Extract (FINJ6121).

Normally Run By

A fees administrator

Anticipated Frequency

An initial run, then a planned cycle

Parameter Sample

Report

Topics

Extract Process, Update Process, Run Details, Job Parameters, Producing Statements of Account, Record Layouts, Processing Logic  

Extract Process

A range of data is extracted from Callista database tables. This data, plus some entered by parameter, is used to create Statements of Account for students liable for fees in a specific period and is written in the form of extract records to the generic S_EXTRACT_RECORD table. A single record is written to the S_EXTRACT table to identify a particular run instance of this job when it has completed successfully.

The extract relates only to student debtors. A different statement (FINJ6130) is provided for sponsors undertaking payment of student's fees.

The extract table methodology enables flexibility for the institution to produce customised statements of account.

Extraction criteria

The primary extraction criteria is that a debt exists within the financial period for a student satisfying the parameter selection criteria. Records are extracted even if the debt is fully paid.

Extraction is always for a single financial period. Further selection can be made by supplying specific parameter values.

A Statement of Account extract will be produced if a person payment schedule exists for the student with:

• Date of issue = Notification date
• Date of issue is blank, then notification date on or after the current date
  
• If the start date is blank and the end date is set, records with a notification date from the system date to the end date may be extracted
  
• If the start date is set and the end date is blank, records with a notification date from and including the start date may be extracted.
  
• If both values are blank, records with a notification date equal to the system date may be extracted.
  

A Statement of Account extract that includes an Opening Balance, will be produced if a person payment schedule exists for the student with the criteria described above, plus a Fee Assessment Period is specified on the parameter tab.

The start and end range dates are used to determine which records can be extracted. Records can be extracted if the notification date is within the specified date range (including the start and end dates).

If one entry in the schedule has a notification date matching the date of issue, records are extracted for all instalment entries of all the student's fees in the fee period.

The correspondence category recorded against a student's course attempt (displayed in ENRF3000) includes a correspondence type for Statement of Account which matched the correspondence type supplied by parameter for this job.

For example, if the correspondence category STANDARD includes a correspondence type of STMNT-ACCT, and if STMNT-ACCT is the chosen parameter for this job run, student course attempts with the STANDARD correspondence category are extracted.

The relationships between correspondence types and categories are recorded in CORF2200.

Source tables and views of the extracted data are documented in view details. A summary of the processing logic used to extract data and write it to the extract table is also provided.

Interpretation

It should be noted that if the Maintain Person Payment Schedule form (FINF3800) shows an expected payment for a student fee assessment of say $685, the Statement of Account Extract records an expected payment of $685 regardless of any sponsored amounts. This is because ultimately the debt belongs to the student. Institutions can, if they wish, deduct the sponsored amount when they build their statement of account production program.

Non Assessed Courses and Units

This job can optionally produce details for non-assessed courses and units. These details are accessed using the Include Non Assessed Courses and Units check box on the More parameter tab.

If the indicator is set (contains a tick) a validation prevents the range dates from being specified and all the assessed data is included in the extract regardless of the notification date. Start and End range dates, Fee Types and Fee Categories cannot be added if this indicator is ticked.

Update Process

In a successful extract, the source data for Statements of Account is written to the S_EXTRACT_RECORD table. (Refer to Extract Creation Processes.) and, unless the run is a test extraction (set by parameter):

• a correspondence item is created for each extract (displayed in CORF2310) and;
• outgoing correspondence is registered for each applicable student (shown in CORF2311) for the correspondence type selected by parameter in this job.

For further information, refer to the Correspondence subsystem.

Statement of Account extract records

Different types of record can be held for each individual statement of account.

These records are:

• a header record with the financial period and institution details including an address (record type = HEADER)
• records for each student due to receive a Statement of Account. For each student selected, the following are extracted where applicable:
• personal details (record type = PERSON)
• addresses (record type = ADDRESSES)
• opening balance (record type = OPENING-BALANCE)
• fee credits (record type = SYSTEM CREDIT)
• details of assessed courses (record type = ASSESSED COURSES)
• unit set details (record type = UNIT SETS)
• assessed liabilities (record type = ASSESSED LIABILITIES)
• assessed units (record type = ASSESSED UNITS)
• HECS contribution bands (record type = HECS CONTRIB BANDS)
• assessment transactions (record type = TRANSACTION DETAILS)
• external references (record type = EXTERNAL REFERENCES)
• fee encumbrance details (record type = FEE ENCUMBRANCES)
• encumbrance effect details (record type = ENCUMBRANCE EFFECTS)
• non assessed course details (record type = NON ASSESSED COURSES)
• non assessed unit set details (record type = NON ASSESSED UNIT SETS)
• non assessed unit details (record type = NON ASSESSED UNITS)
• advanced standing details (record type = ADVANCED STANDING)
• a footer record, giving totals of all records processed (record type = FOOTER).

See view details documentation for more detailon each record type.

 Run Details

Method

This job can only be run in job scheduler mode, through the Job Control & Scheduling subsystem.

Note:

Only the exception report for this job can be run in immediate mode. The exception report is generated using the log creation date from a previous run of this job.

In most circumstances, the job will be run shortly after the Process Person Payments job (FINJ6111).

The date and time of extract is stored with the extracted records.

Timing considerations

The job FINJ6111 (Process Person Payment Schedules) creates records with actual dates when fee payments are due. Since these dates appear on statements, it is important to time the running of this extract job and the production of statements with due regard to when FINJ6111 has/will run.

If there is a delay in producing Statements of Account, a further job, Add Grace Period to Person Payment Schedules (FINJ6112) enables payment dates to be extended by a set number of days.

Viewing the extracted data

Data is usually processed by the institution's custom built statement creation/printing job. Data can be viewed in the S_EXTRACT and S_EXTRACT_RECORD tables, or in a more usable form in the views ACC_STMNT_EXTRACT_V and ACC_STMNT_RECORD_V, using an ad-hoc query tool.

Job Parameters

Required Parameters

Select a value for correspondence type (see Extraction Criteria and Update Process) from the list of values (LOV) displaying the types mapped to this job. For reminder statements of account, a specific correspondence type should be selected. Select also an active financial period.

Under the More tab, select an institution code and address type, used to retrieve the required institution address for printing on the Statement of Account. (Note that the LOV shows only closed address types. This is in line with the recommendation that once established, institution addresses should be closed to prevent their display in general LOVs.)

Optional selection parameters

To further limit the students whose records are extracted and/or the debts for which a Statement of Account is to be issued, a specific value can be nominated for any or all of the following:

• Fee assessment period - will extract only students assessed in this fee period and causes the opening balance for the student to be extracted.
• Fee type (e.g. HECS, general service fee) - will only select students with this fee type, and produce statements only for this fee.
• Fee category - will extract students who have been assessed under this category.
• Course code - will only select students in this course, and produce statements only for this course.
• Person ID - to produce a statement for a single student
  OR
  Person ID Group - to target only students identified as within the group. Note that users who create person ID groups control ID group security, and the list of values (LOV) will only present groups to which you have been granted access.
• Date of issue - is used to determine the 'current' address for each student, the current institution address and the current student payment advice number and is recorded against the outgoing correspondence records in the correspondence subsystem. If left blank, the system date is used instead, and the student address, institution address and payment advice number current at the system date are used.

Other parameters

The comment is included in the extract header record (record 1) for printing on statements, if required. It is also recorded against the correspondence item.

Note:

Do not include special characters in the text - these will be incorrectly interpreted by the extract process.

• Setting the Test Extraction indicator to Y (checked) enables extract records to be created without registering a correspondence item or outgoing correspondence records.
• Start Range Date is used to set the beginning of the period to be extracted.
• End Range Date is used to set the end of the period to be extracted.
• Checking the Include Deferred Debt check box causes any deferred debts to be included in the extract. These can be identified from the associated HECS Payment Option, which is also extracted.
• Include Non Assessed Courses and Units check box is used to optionally include the details about courses and units that have not had a fee assessment.
  • Note: Fee type, fee category and range dates cannot be restricted when non-assessed courses and units are included.

Producing Statements of Account

Producing Statements of Account

The extract data supplied is envisaged as sufficiently comprehensive to meet the varied needs of different institutions. Licensees will be responsible for the programming tasks involved in extracting data and producing Statements of Account from the records stored in the extract table, S_EXTRACT_RECORD via the ACC_STMNT_RECORD_V view. Statements can be tailored to the institution's formatting and content requirements.

Some matters for consideration are:

• whether to use a subset of the data, or to extract additional information from other Callista tables for use in a statement
• the totalling of assessment transactions (where a fee is paid in instalments)
• the calculation of totals and balances across fee types
• the sort sequence that will be most useful for totalling purposes and printing layouts.

About assessment transactions (TRANSACTION DETAILS records)

• The transaction category in the Assessment Transactions record has a value of either DEBT or PAYMENT.
• For DEBT records, the transaction type is always ASSESSMENT, and the transaction amount field holds the proportion of the aggregate assessed amount due at the transaction date (an individual record in the person payment schedule - displayed in FINF3800). The tax amount is held in a separate field, and is not included in the transaction amount.
• For PAYMENT records, the transaction type is either PAYMENT or DISCOUNT. For a payment record, the transaction amount shows individual payment transactions (not an aggregate, and not including the tax paid on the transaction). For a discount record, the transaction amount represents the discount (other than tax discount) earned on the actual amount paid.
• Where a student is studying more than one course concurrently, an institution fee (for example, a general service fee) for the student will have ASSESSMENT transaction records with an identical amount shown against each course. This represents a single liability, to be charged only once.
• An assessed transaction amount is shown for a HECS fee even where the student course attempt has a DEFERRED HECS payment option (government option 10) as at the census date.
• For records with an ASSESSMENT transaction type, the data in the discount percentage, discount amount, discount minimum payment and tax discount available fields represents the conditions under which a discount applies, as given in the person payment schedule. These fields are blank for other than ASSESSMENT records.
• Currency and exchange rate information for PAYMENT records is as at the time of receipt of the payment.

About Advanced Standing

The course containing the advanced standing will be shown with the Assessed Courses and the dollar amount included in the transaction details. The unit will not be included in either assessed or non assessed record types as there is no Student Unit Attempt (SUA) for the unit and the advanced standing assessment could be at the unit level rather than the unit.