Introduction to FIS Banner

What is FIS Banner?
Overview of the FIS Database

What is FIS Banner?

The FIS Banner Financial Information System (FIS Banner) is a financial data management and reporting system. Using fund accounting, the University tracks monies it receives from various sources (state, federal, students, public, etc.) and accounts for how those monies are spent. FIS Banner takes advantage of the latest technologies in retrieving, managing, and reporting data.

FIS Banner offers:

• Access to the central FIS Banner system via the internet for the most up-to-date financial information
   
• On-line data entry capabilities between departments and FIS Banner
   
• On-line approvals of transactions
   
• Ongoing posting of transactions: this means your financial status is up-to-date whenever you check it
   
• Access to transaction detail as well as summary information
   
• Availability of financial data in an electronic medium that will allow greater ease in using critical information for strategic planning

The FIS Banner system contains several modules. They are General Ledger, Finance Operations, Stores Inventory, Purchasing and Procurement, Accounts Payable, Fixed Assets, and Research Accounting. Each of these modules acts as a totally integrated sub-system of FIS Banner, ensuring the compatibility of the system.

Each Banner module provides both printed reports and the ability to view detail and summary information on-line. This gives you the ability both to enter information on-line and to inquire about transactions on-line.

One of the major benefits of FIS Banner is that it interfaces with several other University systems, including the Payroll/Personnel System, the Academic Information System, the Budget System, and the Office of the President. Since FIS Banner is able to interface with such a wide variety of systems, the University is able to utilize and disperse accounting information throughout the campus.

This manual is designed to augment but not replace FIS Banner User Training, which provides UCSC faculty and staff with access to the Financial Information System. The manual alone is not sufficient for learning the FIS Banner system. New FIS Banner users must complete the User Training before being granted system access. Please see the FIS Training web page for information about registering for User Training.

Overview of the FIS Database

FIS stands for UC Santa Cruz’s Financial Information System. FIS is made up of several software components: the database management system, the database, and the application program.

The database management system (DBMS) serves as the foundation for FIS. It is software that sorts, updates, adds, and deletes data. In FIS, we use a database management system called Oracle, which is a product of Oracle Corporation.

A database is a collection of information that is stored in a logical, consistent order so that it is easy to locate and retrieve. The FIS database stores information in tables that are made up of columns and rows. Each column is a field and the column heading is the field name, which is usually descriptive of the data contained in that column. Each row is a record that contains the information for each entry in the table.

For example, the information from an address book might be stored in a table where each person is listed in a row. The pieces of information related to a person are stored in fields called Name, Address, City, State, ZIP, and Phone.

The application program, Banner, is the software that you use when you interact with the FIS database. It was developed by Systems and Computer Technology (SCT). All of the on-line forms that you work with are parts of the Banner application, and it is the Banner software that enables UCSC financial staff to create reports for your unit.