Step 3: Initialize e-xpense

When you initialize e-xpense, you enter export defaults, information for advances, and the URL for accessing per diem rates.

You can change some of the default export options at the time when you run the export. If you do that, then the default options in the Initialization file remain unchanged.

To initialize e-xpense

1. From the JAMIS Administration home page > Setup tab, under Expense Setup, click e-xpense initialization. Or, from the top of any JAMIS Administration screen, click Expense Setup > e-xpense Initialization. The e-xpense Initialization screen appears.

2. For Default Export Option, select one of the following for exporting e-xpense data.

• Export to JAMIS

• Export to External System

Fill out fields in the Export Information area

3. Select one of the following options from the Export by dropdown list. If you selected Export to JAMIS in the previous step, then only the last two options are available.

• Job, Cost Element, and Date

• Job and Cost Element

• Job, Cost Element, Category, and Date

• Job, Cost Element, and Category

4. In the Default Output Location field, enter the path to the location where you wish e-xpense to export the data files. Start the path at the root directory. Make sure to include the trailing slash, which may be / or \ depending on your operating system.

5. Enter the name for the output file, without an extension, in the Default Output File Name field. Later, you must open the application to which you plan to export the information and enter the name and location there.

6. Enter a default delimiter character, such as a comma, for the ASCII output data. Later, you must open the application to which you plan to export the information and enter the default delimiter. This field is available only if you set the Default Export Option field to Export to External System.

Fill out fields in the Advance Payment Information area

7. Enter the job number for charging all advances. To look up jobs, click to the right of the field.

8. Enter the cost element for charging all advances. To look up cost elements, click to the right of the field.

9. Enter the expense category for charging all advances. To look up categories, click to the right of the field. If you set the Default Export Option field to Export to JAMIS, then this field is required. Otherwise, it’s optional.
   
   Hint: If you have not set up any expense categories yet, then you can enter a category that does not exist, but a message reminds you to create this category before exporting expense forms. Later, when you set up expense categories, make sure that you create the category for advances.

10. Click Edit to the right of the Cash Transaction Number field, then enter the starting cash transaction number. When an employee indicates that s/he paid for an expense item with a cash advance, the system assigns the next available transaction number to all cash advance items on the expense report.
    
    Note: e-xpense allows tracking of pre-paid amounts by payment type—cash or check—and either a system-generated cash transaction number or a manually entered check number. Each expense item can have a different payment type, but the transaction number or check number is the same for all payments of one type on the pre-paid expense report.

11. This step applies only if you set the Default Export Option field to Export to JAMIS. To create only one export file of all transactions, leave the Split Expense ASCII File check box at the default of turned off. If you want to create three separate ASCII files—one for all transactions, one for petty cash transactions, and one for check transactions—click the Split Expense ASCII File check box.

12. If you pull your per diem rates from an outside source, such as a government web site, enter the URL in the Per Diem Web Address field. If you make an entry in this field, then e-xpense allows users to look up the current per diem rates while entering their pre-authorization requests or expense reports. To test the address that you entered in a browser window, click the button to the right of the field.

13. Click the Messages tab.

14. Under For Pre-Authorization Requests, in the Certification Text box, enter the text that you wish users to see when submitting a pre-authorization request.

15. Under For Pre-Authorization Requests, in the Approval Certification Text box, enter the text that you wish approvers to see when approving a pre-authorization request.

16. Under For Expense Reports, repeat steps 14 and 15, this time for messages that appear for submitting and approving expense reports.

17. Click Save to commit your entries under both e-xpense Initialization tabs.