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This page provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding the new EMIS. Please refer to the
ARLU and Main Estimates page for frequently asked questions regarding the legacy systems.
The New EMIS Capability
Will the new EMIS record cash or accrual information?
Can the new EMIS track conditions and reminders?
How does the new EMIS handle text?
Will one user be able to have multiple sessions open at the same time?
Will the new EMIS allow for a split screen view?
Process
Will departments be entering authorities directly into the new EMIS?
How will reference level adjustments be entered in the new EMIS?
Will there be as many adjustments such as moving money between Program
Activities as currently in ARLU?
Will departments enter TB Submissions?
Who will enter TB Submissions?
Are we moving towards e-submissions?
Will re-profiling be handled? If so, how?
Will departments be required to enter actuals?
Can departments leave an item out of Supplementary Estimates?
How will horizontal initiatives be handled?
Who will QA the data entry?
Historical Data
Will historical data be accessible?
Reporting
Will the reporting capability be the same in the new EMIS?
Security
Will the use of PKIs be a requirement?
Can the length of timeout be changed?
Program Activity Architectures
What will be the level of detail on Program Activity Architectures (PAA)?
How will the new EMIS handle changes to PAAs?
Testing
When will testing begin?
If something is found in testing, can it still be fixed?
Transition
Why was November chosen as the cutover date?
What is the plan for transition?
Training
What should I expect in terms of training?
Will I have to learn SAP?
The New EMIS Capability
- Will the new EMIS record cash or accrual
information?
Both - for capital projects, tables for both cash flow and accruals will be
required. Amortization tools will be examined after go-live.
- Can the new EMIS track conditions and reminders?
Yes, the new EMIS will capture all conditions imposed by Treasury Board and
send notices to relevant Program Analysts. Program Analysts will also
be able to set their own reminders in the system.
- How does the new EMIS handle text?
The text editor in the new EMIS is similar to MS Word. Work can be
completed in MS Word and copied into the system with formatting.
- Will one user be able to have multiple sessions open at the
same time?
Yes, the new EMIS will allow multiple sessions to be open at the same time.
- Will the new EMIS allow for a split screen view?
The project is currently examining this capability.
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Process
- Will departments be entering authorities directly into
the new EMIS?
In the case of technical adjustments and changes to PAAs that don't require
TB authority, departments will be able to initiate the transaction directly
in the new EMIS with notifications to or approvals by users in TBS as
required by policy.
- How will reference level adjustments be entered in the
new EMIS?
Much of the data collected by Online ARLU will now be captured from the TB
Submission. Other types of ARLU entries will now be called technical
adjustments, and Departments will have the ability to enter these reference
level adjustments year round in the new EMIS. Currently, reference
level adjustments can be made only during the ARLU timeframe resulting in a
high peak of work. The new EMIS will help to alleviate this period of
intensity by allowing users to enter reference level adjustments as they
arise.
- Will there be as many adjustments such as moving money
between Program Activities as currently in ARLU?
No, the new EMIS is evergreen and the data is integrated. Because
much more data will be captured for TB Submissions, ARLU should be a much
more limited process of checking totals and ensuring all technical
adjustments have been entered over the course of regular business during the
year.
- Will departments enter TB Submissions?
No, departments will still submit TB Submissions in hardcopy.
- Who will enter TB Submissions?
EID will enter the required information from TB Submissions, Précis, and
Decisions into the new EMIS.
- Are we moving towards e-submissions?
Electronic submissions are not in scope for the BOSR Project. This
has been noted for future enhancement for consideration. The new EMIS
will have strong functionality to support e-submissions; however, a number
of process and security issues need to be resolved before this could move
forward.
- Will re-profiling be handled? If so, how?
Yes, re-profiling will be handled in the new EMIS using technical
adjustments.
- Will departments be required to enter actuals?
Other than the actual expenditures against allotments they do now, no.
Integrating actual financials would be considered in a future phase
of the long-term EMIS strategy (Phase D).
- Can departments leave an item out of Supplementary
Estimates?
The new EMIS will assume that any authority approved by TB within a given
cut-off date will go in the next available supplementary estimates.
By exception, departments can elect to delay a given item to the next supply
period, as required.
- How will horizontal initiatives be handled?
This will be enhanced in future phases of EMIS (C&D), but this system
gives the ability to tag some Program Activities (PA) by pre-defined
horizontal policy groupings on a reporting basis. It will also make
it easier to do analysis of government wide budgets for standard objects of
expenditure.
- Who will QA the data entry?
EID will have a quality control process within the data unit, but key
documents will be routed to the relevant analysts for verification.
The project is currently examining this further.
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Historical Data
- Will historical data be accessible?
Selected historical data that has ongoing budget impacts will be converted
into the new EMIS. For other historical data, the legacy systems
(such as ESR and previous years’ ARLU) will be available in a 'read only'
state.
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Reporting
- Will the reporting capability be the same in the new
EMIS?
Reports will be available in real time. In the previous legacy
applications, reports could be drawn only when the application was open to
users. Users will have the reporting capability needed to support
their business processes at go-live. Many existing reports were
required only to reconcile data between different legacy systems; these
reports will not be recreated in the new EMIS.
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Security
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Program Activity Architectures
- What will be the level of detail on Program Activity
Architectures (PAA)?
The system will capture the whole program activity architecture, but
financials will only be entered at the program activity level. Data
can be summarized at the strategic outcome, departmental and Ministry
levels.
- How will the new EMIS handle changes to PAAs?
There will be different process for those changes requiring Treasury Board
(TB) approval and those below the PA level. In the first case, it
will take an authority paragraph in an approved TB submission. In the
second case, departments will enter changes into the system as a proposed
technical adjustment. Program Analysts and the Results Based
Management Directorate will then review the change.
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Testing
- When will testing begin?
Basic unit testing (testing sub-processes) has already started. Peer
review (user testing) will start in July and then integration testing
(end-to-end processes) will go from September to October.
- If something is found in testing, can it still be fixed?
Yes, testing is being done in time to allow for modifications.
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Transition
- Why was November chosen as the cutover date?
The legacy systems are at significant risk of failure and any transition to
a new system needs to happen in time to start a new fiscal year with the new
system fully operational. Hence, the new EMIS needs to support Main
Estimates for 08-09.
- What is the plan for transition?
2007-2008 Supplementary Estimates and Allotments will be completed using
existing legacy systems. Government Departments will use the current
Online ARLU to submit 2008-2009 Annual Reference Level Updates. In
mid-November 2007, the Online ARLU will be locked and TBS will migrate the
data into the new EMIS. EMIS will then be used to complete the
2008-2009 Annual Reference Levels Update process. Main Estimates,
Supplementary Estimates, Allotments and fiscal framework tracking and
reporting will be carried out in the new EMIS during 2008-2009.
As a contingency, the legacy systems will be maintained until the new system
is proven in a production environment and 2007-2008 fiscal year activities
are completed. At that point, the legacy systems will be available
only for archival purposes.
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Training
- What should I expect in terms of training?
Training curricula are being designed and developed to ensure that
stakeholders have the appropriate training to acquire the right skills and
knowledge to effectively perform their work using the new system and
business processes. Depending on your role, training will range from a half
a day session to multi-day sessions. Instructor led classroom
training will be delivered starting in October in both official languages.
On-line training on basic system navigation will be available
starting in September.
- Will I have to learn SAP?
No, system users will access, and interact with, the new EMIS using a web
interface tool called the EMIS Workplace. This tool uses SAP technology
called Business Server Pages ( BSPs ) that provide users with a logical and
user-friendly method to access SAP based on the user’s roles and
responsibilities.
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